May 11, 2006
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Laura A. Bischoff
COLUMBUS — The debate about milk unpasteurized, straight from the cow reached state lawmakers Wednesday.
A bill pending in the House Agriculture Committee would allow licensed farmers to sell raw milk directly to consumers.
Bill advocates packed a Statehouse hearing room and sang the praises of raw milk.

Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a national group in favor of raw milk, was quoted as saying, “Raw milk is actually the safest food in the food supply. The promise that pasteurization can protect us against pathogens is not true.”
The story notes that the Federal Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Medical Association and other organizations recommend against drinking raw milk.
Valente Alvarez, Ohio State University associate professor of dairy processing and technology, was cited as saying that extensive scientific studies support the benefits of pasteurization and far outweigh those that tout the benefits of raw milk.
Paul Schmitmeyer, a Darke County dairy farmer, was quoted as saying, “Their science is wrong science.”
Columbus attorney Gary Cox, who represents Schmitmeyer and other farmers with herd-sharing agreements, was cited as saying the state Department of Agriculture is selectively targeting his clients for using a loophole in the law against selling raw milk.
Hearings will continue next week on the bill. State Rep. Arlene Setzer, R-Vandalia, is the bill sponsor.
Raw milk sales are permitted in 27 states, where consumers pay between $6 and $17 per gallon.