Wisconsin Governor Doyle Vetoes Raw Milk Bill After NMPF Request
June 4, 2010
Wisconsin Governor Doyle Vetoes Raw Milk Bill After NMPF Request
After a debate that captured national attention, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle last month vetoed legislation that would have allowed raw milk sales directly to consumers in that state.
Doyle’s office announced that because of public health concerns, he was vetoing state senate bill 434. That decision came a week after NMPF and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) issued a statement expressing concern that, absent Doyle’s veto, Wisconsin would join other states in allowing further distribution of raw milk, a product which “remains a demonstrable threat to people of all ages in every state.”
Federal law prohibits the interstate sale of raw milk, but allows states individual discretion to regulate raw milk sales within their borders. Several states in recent years have loosened restrictions on the sales and marketing of raw milk, even as the product has been repeatedly linked to serious illnesses from coast to coast.
“Many other state dairy organizations in Wisconsin, along with the health professional community, made a major effort in the past week to provide some badly-needed perspective on the potentially deadly consequences if the state were to have passed this bill,” said Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of NMPF. “On behalf of the national dairy producer sector, we appreciate the statement that Gov. Doyle is making by vetoing this bill.”
