A bill introduced in the Hawaii House would legalize raw milk sales in the state, taking an important step toward nullifying a federal prohibition scheme in effect.
A bipartisan coalition of 13 representatives sponsor House Bill 257 (HB257). The legislation would legalize retail sale of raw milk and raw milk products in Hawaii. It would also allow consumers to obtain raw milk through herd share agreements. The bill includes labeling requirements and prohibits the sale of raw milk more than 120 hours after milking.
Under current law, raw milk sales are completely prohibited in Hawaii.
Impact on Federal Prohibition
FDA officials insist that unpasteurized milk poses a health risk because of its susceptibility to contamination from cow manure, a source of E. coli.
“It is the FDA’s position that raw milk should never be consumed,” agency spokeswoman Tamara N. Ward said in November 2011.
The FDA’s position represents more than a matter of opinion. In 1987, the feds implemented 21 CFR 1240.61(a), providing that, “no person shall cause to be delivered into interstate commerce or shall sell, otherwise distribute, or hold for sale or other distribution after shipment in interstate commerce any milk or milk product in final package form for direct human consumption unless the product has been pasteurized.”
Not only do the feds ban the transportation of raw milk across state lines, they also claim the authority to ban unpasteurized milk within the borders of a state.
“It is within HHS’s authority…to institute an intrastate ban [on unpasteurized milk] as well,” FDA officials wrote in response to a Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund lawsuit against the agency over the interstate ban.
The FDA clearly wants complete prohibition of raw milk and some insiders say it’s only a matter of time before the feds try to institute an absolute ban. Armed raids by FDA agents on companies like Rawsome Foods back in 2011 and Amish farms over the last few years also indicate this scenario may not be too far off.
Legislation like HB257 takes a step toward nullifying this federal prohibition scheme.
As we’ve seen with marijuana and industrial hemp, an intrastate ban becomes ineffective when states ignore it and pass laws encouraging the prohibited activity anyway. The federal government lacks the enforcement power necessary to maintain its ban, and people will willingly take on the small risk of federal sanctions if they know the state will not interfere. This increases when the state actively encourages the market and nullifies federal prohibition in effect.
We’ve seen this demonstrated dramatically in states that have legalized industrial hemp. When they authorized production, farmers began growing industrial hemp, even in the face of a federal ban. Despite facing the possibility of federal prosecution, some growers were still willing to step into the void and begin cultivating the plant once the state removed its barriers.
In the same way, removing state barriers to raw milk consumption, sale and production would undoubtedly spur the creation of new markets for unpasteurized dairy products, no matter what the feds claim the power to do.
It could ultimately nullify the interstate ban as well. If all 50 states allow raw milk, markets within the states could easily grow to the point that local sales would render the federal ban on interstate commerce pointless. And history indicates the feds do not have the resources to stop people from transporting raw milk across state lines – especially if multiple states start legalizing it. Growing markets will quickly overwhelm any federal enforcement attempts.
UP NEXT
HB257 has not been referred to a committee. Once it receives a committee assignment, it will need to pass by a majority vote before moving ahead in the legislative process.
Michael Maharrey [send him email] is the Communications Director for the Tenth Amendment Center, where this article first appeared. He proudly resides in the original home of the Principles of ’98 – Kentucky. See his blog archive here and his article archive here. He is the author of the book, Our Last Hope: Rediscovering the Lost Path to Liberty. You can visit his personal website at MichaelMaharrey.com and like him on Facebook HERE
It’s good to see that State nullification is alive and well. Any laws, regulations or rules that are not within the confines of the powers granted to the feds by the States are non-laws.
Uncooked and improperly cooked pig kills, but when was the last time anyone living on a dairy farm, and drinking their own milk, died? Thousands eat raw milk products today, without problems. Hygiene is the ticket, and thanks to hygiene, humans have walked away from all kinds of disease and illness. The Talmud and Koran outlawed the eating of pig flesh because of all the deaths. No early culture required pasteurization of milk or milk products. Where is the evidence the FDA should be relying on? Look at what we give up by boiling milk? What’s the back story? Is it that raw milk dairies tend to be organic and don’t adulterate their cows with all the Monsanto offerings?