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Tell House Members to Vote YES for SF 315
Support Legal Raw Milk Sales in Iowa
Senate File 315 (SF 315), a bill that would legalize raw milk sales in Iowa has passed out of the Senate and is now before the full House for a vote, possibly as early as this Wednesday. Your support is critical in getting the bill through the House and on to the governor’s desk.
SF 315 would allow the sale of raw milk and raw milk products produced by the farm, if it has not more than 10 dairy animals actively producing milk at any one time, direct to consumers on the farm or through delivery. There are licensing and testing requirements, and those purchasing raw milk and raw milk products may not resell those foods. Farmers operating under the bill are exempt from regulation by the Iowa Department of Land Stewardship including any licensing, permitting or inspection requirements.
There are currently 45 states that allow the sale or distribution of raw milk; 38 states allow the sale or distribution for human consumption with another seven states allowing the sale for animal consumption. Iowa is clearly an outlier; state law currently prohibits any sale or distribution of raw milk. All states bordering Iowa allow the sale of raw milk. Now is a great opportunity to change that.
ACTION TO TAKE
1. Please use the House email address to ask ALL members of the House to vote YES on SF 315. Put in the subject line: “Please SUPPORT SF315 Raw Milk Bill” to grab their attention.
Email: allrepresentatives@legis.iowa.gov
2. Follow up by phone asking your own House Representative to vote YES on SF 315. Profile links for House members are posted at
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee?ga=90&groupID=694
To find your legislators, enter your address in the search field at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find
The switchboard number 515-281-3221 is the same for each House member; so ask to speak to yours. If you reach their voicemail, please leave a message:
“My name is _____ and I am calling to ask you to vote YES on the Raw Milk Bill SF315. Thank you in advance for your support.”
TALKING POINTS
1. Tell House members your story of how raw milk has benefited your health or the health of your family.
2. Raw milk has a good track record for safety. According to at least one study, the number of illnesses attributed to raw milk consumption has declined as demand for the product has increased. [See “Study Highlights” – http://www.bcherdshare.org/education/study-highlights.pdf and more posted at https://bcherdshare.org/?s=whitehead ]
3. Passage of SF 315 will keep more of the food dollar in the state economy. With the sale of raw milk being legal in all of Iowa’s bordering states, there are lost revenues.
4. Passage of SF 315 would enable family farmers to make a better living. Raw milk in other states is often the product that first draws the consumer to set foot on the farm leading to sales of other foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, and produce.
5. The bill supports consumer choice. The consumption of all raw milk products is legal in Iowa. Instead of having to cross state lines to exercise their legal right, shouldn’t Iowans have access to those products from Iowa farmers?
WAPF will be sending out further alerts on SF 315 as events warrant.
BILL STATUS LINK –
SF 315 – https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ba=SF%20315&ga=90
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