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Demand has more farmers selling raw milk, even where it's illegalNEW HOLSTEIN, Wis. (AP)--When Jane Ratajczak started buying raw milk for her family about two and a half years ago, some people told her it would kill her. That didn't happen. But within four months, her straight hair began to curl. "Isn't it weird?" Ratajczak said. Curling claims aside, dairy farmers say demand for unpasteurized, or raw, milk is growing, spurred by concern about the chemicals, hormones and drugs used in traditional dairy farming, and interest in organic and locally grown foods. With prices topping $5 per gallon, more dairies are selling raw milk--and finding themselves at odds with public health officials. The federal government and a majority of states prohibit sales of raw milk to the public, claiming it is responsible for hundreds of people sickened in the past decade with salmonella, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and other bacteria. "Raw milk continues to cause outbreaks year after year," said John Sheehan, who oversees plant and dairy food products for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "It is a concern for the FDA." Advocates dispute reports from the federal Centers for Disease Control and other health agencies. They claim raw milk provides health benefits, including relief for allergies, asthma, autism and digestive disorders. "Raw milk is like a magic food for children," said Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates consumption of whole, natural foods. Pasteurization should not affect milk's taste, texture or nutritional content, aside from a slight loss of vitamin C, said Robert Bradley, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who has worked in food science for 44 years. However, the process can destroy proteins and enzymes that help the body absorb vitamins and digest lactose, said Michelle Babb, a registered dietitian who teaches at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash. High heat also can damage water-soluble B vitamins, she said. People looking for raw milk began showing up at Kay and Wayne Craig's organic farm in eastern Wisconsin five or six years ago. Many had digestive issues or other health problems. "They're sick of being sick, and they're sick of the meds and the side effects, and so they're looking for options," said Wayne Craig, 50. The couple had about 100 customers by the time they opened their store with organic products three years ago. Now they have about 800. No government agency or group tracks raw milk sales nationwide. But in Washington state, the number of dairies selling raw milk to the public grew from six to 22 in the past two years. In Massachusetts, the number has more than doubled to 24 in the past five years even as the overall number of dairies has declined. Wisconsin has banned the sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk, although it allows "incidental sales" by farmers. It also permits farm owners to consume their own milk. That prompted Wisconsin farmers, like those in a number of other states, to make a variety of arrangements to sell raw milk legally. Farmers have sold shares in their cows, herds and milk licenses. This, in turn, has led to a lawsuits in states such as Maryland and Ohio as farmers and government officials wrangle over what qualifies as ownership of a farm. An administrative law judge in Wisconsin has said farmers here cannot sell shares of their cows, herds or milk producer licenses to get around restrictions on raw milk sales. "You have to actually be investing in the farm and have a true business partnership," said Donna Gilson, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The Craigs--and their attorney--believe they have met that requirement with an association's purchase of an $8,000 interest in the farm. The association has 800 members who pay $10 to join and an annual membership fee of $1. Raw milk advocates caution that consumers shouldn't buy unpasteurized milk from just any farm. Most insist their suppliers follow organic farming practices and graze their cows. "Without the green grass, you're missing a lot of vitamins," Fallon said. "Also, it's much safer. When cows are eating green grass, you don't find pathogens in their milk." Ratajczak, 43, of Kiel, started buying raw milk from the Craigs after reading a book about natural cures. She now drinks four or five glasses a day. The only effect she's noticed, she said, was that her hair curled--and that could be because she eliminated aspartame from her diet at the same time. The FDA, however, insists "raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe." More than 1,000 people, including two who died, got sick from raw milk or cheese made from raw milk from 1998 to May 2005, according to the most recent count from the federal Centers for Disease Control. Seattle attorney Bill Marler is suing Organic Pastures, the nation's largest organic raw milk dairy, on behalf of two children who fell ill after consuming its products. Testing at the dairy farm near Fresno, Calif., did not detect the strain of E. coli that sickened the children, but a government report said the dairy was likely responsible. Marler, who has sued other dairies as well, criticized states for bowing to pressure from farmers and allowing raw milk sales to go on--legally or not. "My worry is that as it becomes more acceptable and becomes more commercialized, you know, it will reach a critical mass where all of the sudden you're going to get a whole bunch of little kids poisoned," Marler said. "And then everybody will throw up their arms and go, 'Whoa, we've got to stop this, we've got to pasteurize."' Organic Pastures, in turn, is suing the state of California, to keep it from enforcing a new law that would require raw milk to meet the same bacterial standards as pasteurized milk. It won a temporary restraining order last month, and a hearing on a more permanent order is scheduled for April 25. "They have never found a pathogen in our raw milk since we opened in 2000," dairy owner Mark McAfee said. But properly produced raw milk does contain bacteria that "help rebuild immune systems," he added. Raw milk producers have been targeted by the federal government and traditional dairies concerned about losing their market share, McAfee said. Both sides plan to produce experts and evidence during an April 15 joint hearing at the California capitol that McAfee called "the showdown at the raw milk corral." 4/21/08 Date: 4/16/08 Advertisement
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