| Hi Friend,
Raw milk is legal to buy in Texas—but it’s hard to get. Dairies that are Licensed Grade A Raw for Retail are regularly inspected and their milk is tested using the same (or higher) standards as for pasteurized milk. Yet state regulations require consumers to drive to the farm every time they want raw milk, burdening both consumers and farmers.
House Bill (HB) 503 and Senate Bill (SB) 80 would allow licensed farmers to sell raw milk at farmers’ markets and to deliver to customers. HB 503 and SB 80, if passed, would reduce costs and difficulties for consumers, while allowing farmers a fair opportunity to market their products.
Prior versions of these bills have passed both the House and the Senate—just not in the same session. We have a real shot at passing it this session—but we need you to take action today!
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| | | | TAKE ACTION #1
Call or email your State Representative to urge him or her to support HB 503 and help move the bill forward. A phone call has the greatest impact—and it allows you to find out if she/he supported the raw milk bill last session (if she/he was in office). Remember to keep the conversation polite and to-the-point.
You can find out who your State Representative is by going to www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us or calling the Texas Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630.
If you call after hours, you can simply leave a message:
My name is ____, and I am a constituent. I am calling to urge Representative ______ to co-author HB 503, the raw milk bill, and to help the bill move forward as quickly as possible. I would like to know where my Representative stands on this issue, please. You can call me back at _________.
If you prefer email, you can send the same message online. Your Representative’s email address is simply FirstName.LastName@house.texas.gov
More information and talking points about the bill are at the end of this alert.
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| | TAKE ACTION #2
Call or email your State Senator to urge him or her to support SB 80 and help move the bill forward. A phone call has the greatest impact—and it allows you to find out if she/he supported the raw milk bill last session (if she/he was in office). Remember to keep the conversation polite and to-the-point by using our talking points memo (below).
You can find out who your State Senator is by going to www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us or calling the Texas Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630.
If you call after hours, you can simply leave a message:
My name is ____, and I am a constituent. I am calling to urge Senator ______ to co-author SB 80, the raw milk bill, and to help the bill move forward as quickly as possible. I would like to know where my Representative stands on this issue, please. You can call me back at _________.
If you prefer email, you can send the same message online. Your Senator’s email address is simply FirstName.LastName@senate.texas.gov
More information and talking points about the bill are found below.
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| | | MORE INFORMATION
HB 503 and SB 80 would legalize the sale of raw milk by licensed farmers directly to consumers at farmers’ markets, and allow farmers to deliver to their customers.
- Raw milk is already legal in Texas, but unfair marketing restrictions burden both farmers and consumers.
- Texas Grade A Raw for Retail dairies are subject to regulations that meet or exceed all regulatory standards for pasteurized milk.
- HB 503/SB 80 would simply allow licensed farmers to sell raw milk at farmers’ markets and through delivery arrangements. Sales would be limited to direct farm-to-consumer and would NOT be allowed in grocery stores.
- HB 503/SB 80 would improve the safety of raw dairy by allowing producers to transport it to consumers under safe conditions, rather than relying on consumers to remember to take coolers and ice.
- By allowing a farmer to make a single trip to serve multiple customers, rather than having each customer drive to the farm, the bill would reduce vehicle miles, benefiting air quality, traffic congestion, and public safety.
- HB 503/SB 80 would benefit rural economies because direct farm-to-consumer sales of raw milk can mean the difference between a net loss on the farm and a reasonable income for the farm family.
- Only 29 illnesses have been allegedly linked to raw milk in Texas in the last 20 years—less than two illnesses per year on average—out of an estimated three quarters of a million Texans who drink raw milk.
Read HB 503.
Read SB 80.
Check out this powerful personal story about raw milk HERE. |
| | DONATE
If you’d like to make a donation to support the work of Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund to bring you these informative legislative updates and work to improve state laws, please donate HERE. |
| www.farmtoconsumer.org | 703-208-FARM (3276) | info@farmtoconsumer.org |
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