WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and may contain harmful bacteria. Pregnant women, infants, children, the elderly and persons with lowered resistance to disease have the highest risk of harm from use of this product.
That’s the message which bottles of raw milk will need to carry as part of their labeling, under new rules proposed for marketing raw milk for human consumption in South Dakota. The state Department of Agriculture plans a public hearing on the rules Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in room 412 of the state Capitol. Under one of the rules, the department wants to know who’s buying the milk:
“Milk plants that provide or offer bottled raw milk for human consumption shall maintain a current list of persons to whom they have provided raw milk for human consumption. The list must be continually updated and include the data for at least 60 days. This customer list shall include customer names, addresses, phone numbers, and quantities of bottled raw milk for human consumption. This list shall be provided to the department upon the department’s request.”
The new rules also would require testing, licensing and inspections similar to traditional dairy regulations in South Dakota. The raw milk would have to be bottled on the farm where it’s produced. The milk can be from cows, goats, sheep and other hoofed mammals. If you want to read the whole set, find them on the department’s web site at http://www.state.sd.us/doa/das/Raw%20Milk%20Rules%20Oct%202009.pdf on the Internet.
#1 by sourkraut on November 13, 2009 - 9:38 pm
God help us! People have more freedom in China than in South Dakota. We might begin calling this the “Peoples Republic of South Dakota”. Why do we think we must always “Lead the way”.
If I want to buy raw milk from my farmer friend and dip from his bulk tank as I’ve done for years, neither he nor I should be made into a criminal because the state of South Dakota is creating some stupid law. There are states such as Connecticut or Rhode Island that can easier buy raw milk than we can.
The law we currently have is fine. IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT. My goodness, we better throw those raw milk producers in jail so they don’t kill off the whole state! And destroy eveyone’s privacy by requiring a “list” of names, addresses, phone numbers and even how much milk we buy. Sounds more like the former Soviet Union than the US and we South Dakotans are suppose to pride ourselves in our individuality and love of freedom and we sit back and let them pass a mess like this??