Personal Injury Law

Massachusetts joins the Raw Milk Parade

By Bill Marler, Esq.

I think I have them all - Washington, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey and now Massachusetts, all have some interest in loosening raw milk regulations (Wyoming and Humboldt County in California killed Raw Milk Legislation this year). 

In Massachusetts, an Act relative to the distribution of raw milk:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1 Section 13 of chapter 94 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following new section:

Section 1  A Licensed raw milk farmers will be allowed to deliver raw milk directly to the consumer, off-site from the farm, provided that the raw milk farmer have a direct, contractual relationship with the consumer. The raw milk farmer may contract with a third party for delivery provided that the raw milk farmer shall maintain the contractual relationship with the consumer. The raw milk farmer may deliver raw milk through a community supported agriculture (CSA) delivery system provided that the raw milk farmer shall maintain a contractual relationship with the consumer. Delivery may be made directly to the consumer's residence or to a pre-established receiving site; said sites shall not be in a retail setting with the exception of CSA delivery. In such instances, raw milk shall be kept separated from retail items for sale and will not be accessible to the general public.

SECTION 2  Raw milk farmers may sell raw milk from their farm stands even if not contiguous to their raw milk dairy and shall comply with section 3 of chapter 40 of the General Laws.

SECTION 3  Non-mechanical refrigeration shall be allowed where mechanical refrigeration is not practical or cost prohibitive.

SECTION 4  The Commissioner of the Department of Agricultural Resources shall adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations governing the handling, packaging, storage and transportation of raw milk, non-mechanical refrigeration shall be permitted.

I offered $5,000 for the painting above.  My guess is that more people will be reading www.realrawmilkfacts.com. and paying attention to what happened to Raw Milk and Raw Milk Cheese in 2010.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on February 02, 2011 (boomark / email).