A battle over the safety and legality of raw milk has been raging here in California for the past several years. This year it has come to a head as the legislature has passed a bill legalizing it once and for all with certain safety standards. Rheo Blair was an outspoken proponent of raw milk. As a student of Rheo Blair, I consumed an enormous quantity of raw dairy -- milk, butter, cream, etc. while I was on his program living in his home. My wife today is an enthusiastic consumer of raw milk and not a day goes by that she doesn't drink a good quantity of it. All by herself she consumes a good three to four half-gallons per week and her health has never been better. Nor, despite that considerable intake, is there an ounce of excess fat on her sleek body though many anti-dairy vegans would want to assume otherwise.The law passed earlier this month as Senate Bill 201 by a veto - proof 31-4 vote. Of course we don't expect a veto from Governor Schwarzenegger who is known to have consumed plenty of both raw milk and Rheo Blair's protein back in his early competitive days. However a veto is, unfortunately, not entirely out of the question. In any case the issue is whether he will get to it at all what with some 800 other bills competing for his signature.
Organic Pastures, the wonderful dairy from which we get all our raw dairy products, has spearheaded the fight for raw milk here in California. They put out a piece called "Senate Bill #201 Comes to Life" in which they made the following points:
SB 201 pioneers standards and regulatory protections that:
- are the first in the nation.
- are holistic in addressing every critical process in the dairy.
- provide greater protections for consumers than the standards currently in law.
- promote consumer choice in California by keeping raw milk available on store shelves.
- increase food safety protections to ensure that the raw milk sold in California is the safest in the nation.
And, further, under SB 201:
- Raw milk must be tested for pathogens eight times more often.
- Each raw milk dairy must provide independent lab samples twice per week.
- CDFA must test directly for the pathogens that cause illness in humans at least once per month.
- CDFA may take raw milk samples from any location.
- Raw milk dairies may not receive milk from non-raw milk dairies; the protections put into place by SB 201 cannot be circumvented by receiving milk from a dairy not subject to these stringent requirements.
Now it is in the hands of the governor. We should know soon.
In the meantime I invite you to learn more about our raw milk fight in California by watching this superb YouTube video. There are other struggles for raw milk freedom in our country and as the saying has it, "as goes California, so goes the nation". Watch, learn, take action.
Video from YouTube.
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Copyright © 2008 Charles Welling
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Information found on Rheo H. Blair: The Book is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment.
