ACTION ALERT: LA Raw Milk Bill HB 467 Passed House; Senate Ag Hearing is May 21

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Subject: ACTION ALERT: LA Raw Milk Bill HB 467 Passed House; Senate Ag Hearing is May 21

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ACTION ALERT:
Support Raw Milk Sales
HB 467 Passed the House and Is on to the Senate Ag Committee

Dear Friend,

Louisiana House Bill 467 legislation legalizing raw milk sales in Louisiana, has passed out of the House and is now before the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee.

A hearing has been scheduled before the committee for 9:00 a.m. on May 21.2024. Please reach out to Farm-to-Consumer if you would like to testify.

HB 467 legalizes the on-farm sale of up to 500 gallons per month of either raw cow or raw goat milk for human consumption. There are extensive construction, sanitation, storage and handling requirements, ensuring the production of safe milk, as well as a warning requirement on the label stating that “this product . . . has not been pasteurized, and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.”

The bill also clarifies existing law in providing that producers can also sell raw milk for pet consumption.

TAKE ACTION

Action Step #1

Attend the hearing if at all possible and testify in favor of HB 467. It’s important that the Senate Ag committee members see firsthand the support there is for HB 467. Even if you don’t want to testify, still attend the hearing if at all possible. The hearing time will be at either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. on May 21.
Please email Christine Dzjuna if you would like to discuss testifying.

Action Step #2
Contact the Louisiana Senate Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee and tell them you are in support of House Bill 467.

Action Step #3

Spread the word! Send this Action Alert email to your LA friends, families, and customer list.

TALKING POINTS

1. This is a freedom of choice issue. Everyone has the legal right to consume raw milk, but with the current ban on sales, there is no way for many to exercise that right. Neither the Department of Agriculture and Forestry nor any other government agency or official should have the right to dictate to people what foods they can and cannot eat.

2. HB 467 could help farms in the state dairy’s industry stay in business. In 2016, the last time a raw milk bill was before the legislature, there were 115 Grade A dairies in Louisiana. Today that number is around 50. The additional revenue from selling raw milk for human consumption or pet consumption could be the difference for dairies to continue to operate.

3. Raw milk has a good record for safety. As demand for raw milk has skyrocketed in recent years, the number of illnesses attributed to raw milk consumption has remained flat or even gone down.

4. The media and public health agencies have been warning people not to drink raw milk because of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). There is no evidence that HPAI in raw milk or any other food can make people sick.

Bills like HB 467 serve to increase #foodfreedom! Please join us and spread the word about the importance of fair food and farming legislation.

In good health,

Alexia Kulwiec
Executive Director, FTCLDF

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