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Raw milk bill clears Iowa House subcommittee

An Iowa House subcommittee has advanced a bill that would legalize raw milk sales at farmers markets and grocery stores.

State Representative Bobby Kaufmann says unpasteurized raw milk sales have been allowed on dairy farms in the state since 2023. He says the House bill would expand sales to other sites.

“I believe that people should have the opportunity to consume this should they choose,” Kaufmann says. “I don’t believe I need the government…telling me what is and is not safe. We are perfectly capable of making that decision on our own.”

But some farmers are hesitant about the legislation. Abby Costello raises dairy cows and sells raw milk, butter and cheese from a small store in Linn County.

“I’m 100% for raw milk, but I’m undecided about the changes that are being proposed,” she said. “When you throw in a grocery store in the middle, growth of bacteria and different things could expand and potentially make a consumer sick and then who’s responsible? The farmer or the middle man?”

Butler County farmer Robert Horst, president of the Iowa State Dairy Association, says there should be some safety standards in place for raw milk to help protect consumers from food-borne illnesses.

“We cannot afford any black eye for…the industry where the margins are so thin to begin with,” Horst says, ” and it is a very hard industry to survive in as it is.” Supporters of the bill say consumers should have the right to decide for themselves whether to purchase raw milk.

Audio for this story was provided by Radio Iowa.