Headfirst into the Raw Milky Way

The Massachuessetts Department of Agriculture and Resources (MDAR) and the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) say they support our small dairy farms, but what do they really support?

It certainly appears that the MDAR and NOFA are working together.

Some excerpts (with important facts) of my letter to NOFA:

NOFA stated:

"The fact that MDAR is putting off these changes to the [raw milk buying club] regulations is a testament to our perseverance and passion.  Now we need to maintain that pressure on the agency and on the legislature to continue to listen and protect our food rights."

MDAR did nothing but confuse raw milk advocates with these changes right before the raw milk hearing and NOFA blatantly supported MDAR's last minute decision.  NOFA, in the meantime, has done nothing to protect our food rights.

Until March, I believed that the MDAR supported raw milk farms and until Friday, I believed that NOFA worked to promote healthy organic farmers, farms and practices in Massachusetts.  I am terribly disappointed.

Buying clubs are still not operating and MDAR is taking the stand that buying clubs are illegal.

In December, Scott Soares stated "The (MDAR) Department is keen on ensuring this economically viable option (raw milk) remains open to producers throughout the Commonwealth."

Somehow, Scott Soares changed his mind in January about buying clubs and decided to call them illegal.

Somehow, NOFA has forgotten that their mission statement includes:  "NOFA works to educate members and the general public about the benefits of local organic systems."

AND

"promote political and economic changes necessary to build a sustainable local agriculture that benefits rural, suburban and urban Massachusetts."

There have been numerous opportunities to not only educate the public on the truth of raw milk, but also to educate our department of public health - Commissioner Auerbach, who is explicit in his preference that:

• "in an ideal world we would prefer that all milk sold in Massachusetts be pasteurized..."
• "that some local farms are realizing an economic benefit from the sale of raw milk"
• "we have provided measures...that aim to reduce the risk of serious illness."

In addition, he repeats a lie that between 1998 and 2008 there have been two deaths "from consumption of raw milk..."  The two deaths reported by the U.S. Center for Disease Control were from consumption of queso fresca cheese, which is often produced from conventional unpasteurized milk known to be dangerous, and disavowed by raw milk proponents.  He  leaves out any mention of the three deaths and the loss of a fetus in Massachusetts from consumption of pasteurized milk in 2007; nor could I find any reference to the fact that Massachusetts hasn't had a single illness from raw milk during that same time period (or since).

Furthermore, Commissioner Auerbach repeats a declaration made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently that consumers have no food rights:

"...it is unfortunate that some raw milk advocates have chosen to portray their choice to buy raw milk as a 'right.'"

These statements show how much work there is to do on both the education on the benefits or our raw milk systems and insuring our basic rights surrounding our choice to consume raw milk.

I would like to see NOFA work towards making changes that will enable our buying clubs to operate and thus economic gains will benefit both farmers and buying clubs and also for NOFA to educate our politicians on the facts and statistics surrounding raw and pasteurized milk.

I would then be able to characterize NOFA as a group that upholds its mission statements.

Image Credit:  rcousine