KY House members ignore party lines, defeat raw milk measure

A representative from Kentucky said it was about consumers’ food choices. A coalition of food safety groups said it was a threat to public health — particularly children. The U.S. House just said no. With a vote of 331-79, legislators from both sides of the aisle joined to crush an amendment to the farm bill that would have allowed the interstate sale of unpasteurized raw milk. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, said his proposed legislation would protect farmers from “federal interference” while respecting state laws. The federal interference referenced by Massie and the amendment’s co-sponsors Reps. Jared Polis, D-CO, and Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA, is a 1987 ban on the interstate sale of unpasteurized milk. As it did when it enacted the ban, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to cite the dangers of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that can thrive in raw milk. The pathogens include E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria and are particularly dangerous to children whose immune systems are not yet developed, according to state and federal public health officials. The FDA is joined by scientists at virtually all state health departments and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in warning the public against drinking unpasteurized, raw milk.The Kentucky republican has contended for years that people should be allowed to take that risk for themselves and their children.