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by Seth Teter

Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation that would legalize the sale of raw milk.

Supporters claim raw milk can be safe and even healthier than pasteurized milk and that it provides a niche market for farmers. They say the current raw milk ban unnecessarily restricts consumer choice.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation supports the legalization of raw milk, although Rocky Black, the organization's director of legislative affairs, acknowledged it is a controversial issue.

Black said the testimony presented to the House Agriculture Committee supporting raw milk sales was very well organized and lawmakers were left with the feeling that "this isn't the huge risk we thought it was."

"There's definitely a strong feeling in the House that they want to take a hard look at this bill," he said.

But the legislation has numerous opponents including the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), which testified against the bill, saying pasteurization is needed to destroy harmful organisms.

ODA Director Fred Dailey said he disagreed with raw milk advocates, but described them as "good, honest, hardworking people."

"If people think raw milk makes them feel better, I'm not here to argue," he told legislators. "But the fact remains that people are going to get sick, and the public will want to hold someone responsible."

Dailey said the bill is a step backwards in a science-based food safety system, but he believes in the "collective wisdom" of the legislature and will carry out its decision.

The Weston A. Price Foundation, a national organization that advocates a diet of nutrient-dense, whole foods, supports the bill.

"There's a safe way to produce milk and produce raw milk," said Christina Trecaso, who leads the foundation's Ohio chapter, noting 28 states allow some type of raw milk sales.

Trecaso said raw milk was consumed long before pasteurization was developed and that improvements in the milking process have resulted in a safer product.

"If I had a choice, why would I want something that's so highly processed instead of going to my neighbor and buy something that's fresh and unadulterated," she said.

But Connie Finton, who operates a dairy farm in Tuscarawas County and chairs the Ohio Dairy Industry Forum, disagrees. She believes the government has a responsibility to protect consumers based on sound science.

"Show me the peer-reviewed science" that raw milk is healthier, she said. "(Its supporters) haven't done that."

Finton said raw milk sales could lead to lawsuits against farmers if customers become sick.

"I don't think people would understand the value in the food safety programs we have going on right now," she said. The legalization of raw milk may result in more regulations, because food safety risks would be higher, she added.

"I think dairy producers need to understand that this is a serious issue and that we are fighting to protect the good name of milk," she said.

Trecaso said people who want raw milk are educated about its risks and benefits and should be able to decide if it's right for them. She said consumers would also be able to work directly with farmers.

"It's basically 'shake the hand that feeds you,'" she said.