| Hi Friend,
Late last year, herdshares (the agreements for the distribution of raw milk to people who own a share of the animal or herd) became law in North Carolina. But that new law is under attack through House Bill (HB) 385, which would repeal it—and leave herdshare owners and the farmers they contract with vulnerable to attacks by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a fierce opponent of raw milk.
Please see action steps and additional background information below. Share this alert with your friends and family in North Carolina! |
| | | | TAKE ACTION #1
Please call or email your State Representative and urge him/her to OPPOSE HB 385 and keep herd shares legal.
Explain that herdshares are not sales but private agreements.
Remember, calls are far more effective than emails, and they can take just a couple of minutes! Keep your call or email short, polite, and clear—you can simply give your name, identify yourself as a constituent, and ask the Representative to OPPOSE HB 385. If you have time, add a sentence or two about why raw milk access is important to you.
You can find out who your State Representative is by going to www.ncleg.gov/RnR/Representation, selecting “NC House” and entering your address.
More information and talking points about the bill are below. |
| | | MORE INFORMATION
Under current North Carolina law, herd shares are legal, but the sale of raw milk is illegal. Raw milk opponents are working to make herd shares illegal through HB 385.
HB 385 has been fast-tracked and could move quickly. We need to send a strong message to stop HB 385!
The raw milk opponents are the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), the North Carolina Farm Bureau, and the dairy industry. They are trying to end the 4-month-old herdshare law in the name of food safety. Yet state government labs that test pasteurized milk for safety are refusing to test raw milk produced by herdshare farmers—showing that they are more worried about shutting these farmers down than they are about food safety.
Please act now for the sake of raw milk farmers and for the freedom to choose your own food!
Talking Points:
- Raw milk has a good track record for safety. It is legally sold in South Carolina
- The North Carolina Department of Agriculture could aid in the production of safe raw milk by allowing raw milk producers to use state labs to test their milk.
- Allowing dairy farmers to manage herdshares could bring in much-needed income to rural farm families.
- Consumers should be free to choose the foods that they feed themselves and their families.
- How would these bills affect you? Why do you want to continue to access raw milk via herdshares?
Read HB 385, which would prohibit the dispensing of raw milk and raw millk products through herdshare arrangements. |
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| www.farmtoconsumer.org | 703-208-FARM (3276) | info@farmtoconsumer.org |
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