Ohio Bill Would Legalize Direct Sales of Raw Milk From Farms

(The Epoch Times)—Two Ohio state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it easier for people to buy raw milk, describing it as a “matter of liberty.”

Earlier this month, state Reps. Kellie Deeter and Levi Dean, both Republicans, introduced House Bill 406, which would allow farmers to sell raw milk directly to customers. The proposed legislation would not permit retail sales or deliveries.

“We’ve legalized marijuana, but we have restrictions for getting raw milk. That needs to change, and that is the purpose of this bill,” Deeter told The Epoch Times.

Ohioans should be “free to choose whether they want to drink raw milk or not,” Dean told The Epoch Times.

“We live in a state where you can choose to drink alcohol, you can choose to use tobacco, you can choose to use marijuana, and all of those are perfectly legal, but yet, raw milk is too dangerous for us, apparently,” Dean said.

“It makes no sense that the government would say all of these things are fine, but raw milk is a step too far.”

The Food and Drug Administration defines raw milk as “milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria.”

Pasteurization involves heating a liquid product to kill bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that drinking raw milk is risky.

Selling raw milk is illegal in Ohio unless the user signs a herd share agreement, which involves buying a share of a cow or a herd for their boarding and management. Consumers can also buy the product from farms and stores that label it as “pet milk” and not for human consumption.

The proposed bill would require customers to sign a liability waiver stating that they understand the risks of drinking unpasteurized milk. Sellers would be required to test once a month for harmful bacteria that can be found in raw milk and discard batches that test positive.

Raw milk sellers would get a license through the state’s Director of Agriculture. Dairy farmers in Ohio must already follow this regulation, which includes inspections of their facilities.

The consumption of raw milk is growing in the United States. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he drinks raw milk daily.

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which encourages people to eat locally produced food and avoid ultra-processed food, has contributed to the popularity of raw milk consumption.

Legislator Voices Objections

Ohio state Rep. Anita Somani, a Democrat who’s an OB-GYN, told a Columbus TV station that the bill would take Ohio “backwards” in public health.

“Ingesting raw milk and those types of bacteria, it may not impact someone who is healthy,” Somani said. “At minimum, they may end up with diarrhea, or nausea, or vomiting. For somebody who’s immunocompromised, somebody who’s pregnant, it can be devastating.”

States have a wide range of raw milk regulations. Some allow retail purchases in stores, and others permit sales only at farms or through herd shares.

In North Dakota, for example, a law took effect on Aug. 1 that legalized direct-to-consumer sales of raw milk products. Producers can now sell raw milk to consumers for personal use, but it can’t be sold to wholesalers or retail stores, and it can’t be donated.

Legalizing raw milk would allow the state to ensure the product is safer since residents are already drinking it through herd share agreements and containers labeled as “pet milk,” Deeter said.

“The more I looked into the issue of raw milk, it became more apparent to me that we should just legalize and appropriately regulate it because it is nonsense the way it is done now,” Deeter said.

Stephanie Stock, executive director of Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, told The Epoch Times that her organization “has always supported an individual’s right to make health and food choices they feel are in their best interest.”

“This includes the right of Ohioans to choose to drink raw milk as a more natural alternative to processed dairy,” she said.

Stock noted that the testing and licensure requirements make the proposed bill more likely to pass.

Michael Kilpatrick and his wife, Savannah Kilpatrick, own Farm on Central, an urban farm in southwest Ohio that operates as a private, farmer-to-consumer membership organization.

When “produced responsibly,” Michael Kilpatrick said, raw milk offers significant benefits that outweigh the risks for many people, especially compared with the industrialized pasteurized milk system we have today.

“Direct farmer-to-consumer sales empowers informed choices while cutting out the middlemen who historically caused the problems,” Kilpatrick said in support of HB 406.

“Ohioans deserve access to this nutrient-dense food. Let’s support policies that prioritize real food over outdated fears.”

The bill awaits a committee assignment and a hearing. The Ohio Legislature returns in September.