Farm Bureau needs your help in contacting members of the House Agriculture Committee.  Farm Bureau supports amending HB2030 to regulate production and sale of raw milk utilizing the principles above and deleting language regarding sale of uninspected meat and reinserting the language regarding other food products. Without such amendments, we oppose the bill.

Click here to send an email to members of the House Ag Committee: https://app.muster.com/take-action/RiYbsZIT7m/

Sale of Raw Milk – HB2030

What does HB2030 (Freitas) do?

Exempts a producer of food, including milk, products made from milk, and poultry, from regulations of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services so long as the sale of such food by the producer is made directly to the end consumer; the sale is conducted at a farmers market or through a home or farm; the food product contains no uninspected meat other than poultry; and the producer informs the end consumer that the food product is not certified, regulated, or inspected.

Understanding Farm Bureau’s Position on HB2030

• Farm Bureau opposes the inclusion of language in the bill allowing for the sale of uninspected meat.  This is prohibited under federal law in any state.
• Farm Bureau supports reinstating deleted language in the bill that had addressed other products and food.  This language in the law was the result of work in previous General Assembly sessions. Those provisions were well debated and must be returned.
• We oppose the sale of raw milk.  We would support the regulated production and sale of raw milk.

Principles of Regulated Production and Sale of Raw Milk

Based on Farm Bureau policy, we have indicated that if those principles are incorporated into his legislation then there could be a path to move down to allow for the regulated production and sale of raw milk.

In order to protect the health and safety of consumers but also meet demand for raw milk the following principles should be followed. Any raw milk that is sold shall:

• be sold for personal consumption and not for resale
• come from production on the premises of the seller’s farm
• the sale occur on the premises of the seller’s farm
• comply with the health and safety standards applicable to milk sold in Virginia, or with similar standards
• be sold in a container labeled with the name and address of the farm or producer and the words “Not for Resale”
• the milk production area used in the production of raw milk shall comply with the sanitary standards applicable to dairies in the Commonwealth, or with similar standards
• the milk is tested and the dairy is inspection shall be identical to that of testing or inspection of a conventional dairy
• any producer of raw milk for sale shall have an ongoing relationship with a veterinarian
• any producer of raw milk for sale shall meet standards of financial assurance that may include a requirement of bonding or insurance
• the practice of cow-sharing or goat-sharing must addressed in the regulations in order to protect the health and safety of consumers