A Mother's Love

RAW MILK UNDER ATTACK IN TEXAS

The big dairy industry is running radio ads warning the public away from raw milk.  And they're using farmers' dollars to do it!  Read the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliances letter demanding that they halt their false and misleading ads at:
 http://texasrealmilk.org/trmf/ltr-re-dairy-ads-110106.pdf

The real issue is: who gets to decide what foods you eat? We think it should be YOU. That is why we worked to get HB 75 introduced, to allow licensed raw milk farmers to sell their products at farmers markets, and to allow consumers and farmers to agree to delivery arrangements.  This would continue the direct farmer-to-consumer relationship, while ensuring that raw milk is safe and accessible to both rural and urban customers.

The good news is that HB 75 has already gained bipartisan support in the Texas Legislature.  Representative Flynn, who introduced the bill, has been joined by Representatives Bonnen, Eddie Rodriguez, and Simpson as authors.  And Senator Deuell has filed the companion bill, SB 237, in the Senate.  You can read the text of the bill and more on the Texas Legislature's website: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us

HB 75 is critical for reasonable access to raw milk in our state.  If this bill passes, farmers will be able to reach new markets, and consumers will be able to save the time and money they now spend driving (often an hour or more each way) to get milk.

We need your help!  We need resources to effectively fight for the raw milk bill by:

--Reaching out to farmers and consumers to rally grassroots support.
--Developing a PR campaign to counter the industrys false and misleading advertisements.
--Organizing our Family Farm and Local Foods Education Day on February 21, 2011.

And if you donate now, your donation will be DOUBLED thanks to a generous matching grant from two donors!

We know that times are tough for many people, and we thank you for whatever support you can give.  Any amount will help us in this effort.  Consider giving the amount that you pay for a month's worth of milk for your family, or a month's worth of driving expenses for your milk needs.  If this bill passes, just think of how much time, money, and energy you will be able to save once our farmers can legally deliver milk.

Donate online at http://texasrealmilk.org/donate  or by downloading our donation form at http://texasrealmilk.org/trmf/Real-milk-donations.pdf  to mail in with a check.  Remember that your donation will be DOUBLED by the matching grant!

MORE INFORMATION

Raw milk has an excellent safety record in Texas.  According to the CDC, between 1998 and 2008, there were only two reported cases of illness from raw milk in our state.   In that same time period in Texas, there were over 12,000 foodborne illnesses reported traced to such foods as strawberries, mangos, cake, beans, lettuce salads, salsa, cheeses, pot pie, chicken salad, hot dogs, deli meats, beef brisket, etc.   Any food carries some risk of foodborne illness, but licensed raw milk farmers take extensive precautions to ensure the safety and quality of their product.

Despite this, the state agency continues to throw up marketing barriers that do nothing to increase the safety of the product:

--Did you know that the state agency officials assert that each person must drive out to the farm every single time they want to buy milk under the current law?

--Did you know that the agency officials contend that it is illegal for you to pick up milk for your friends and neighbors, even as a favor to them?

--Did you know that Massachusetts recently tried to crack down on raw milk buying clubs under rules almost identical to the Texas rules?

DOUBLE your donation and help us protect your right to access the foods of your choice by donating today at:
http://texasrealmilk.org/donate

Learn more about raw milk, including the regulations governing it and its benefits, at:
www.TexasRealMilk.org

EXCERPTS FROM THE DEMAND LETTER

Below are some excerpts from the letter FARFA sent to DairyMax demanding that they halt their ads attacking raw milk.  The full letter is available at:
http://texasrealmilk.org/trmf/ltr-re-dairy-ads-110106.pdf

The statements on DairyMaxs website are clearly intended to prevent people from drinking raw milk, even though the sale of raw milk by licensed dairies is legal in Texas.

DairyMaxs website materials and radio ads  are clearly intended to decrease consumption of a specific segment of the milk industry, namely the raw milk industry. There is no legal basis for doing so, particularly given that raw milk is legal for sale in Texas. There are dozens of licensed raw milk dairies in Texas whose businesses are being harmed by DairyMaxs actions.

DairyMaxs actions are particularly disturbing given that several raw milk farmers have paid the $.15 per hundredweight Checkoff fee for many years, and the National Dairy Council has recently sent letters to other raw dairy farmers demanding that they too pay the Checkoff fees. Pursuant to the regulations, DairyMax should be using a portion of the Checkoff to promote and conduct research on raw milk, not to attack it.

In addition, several of the statements on the DairyMax website are false and misleading:

 When combined with the (false) CDC data about illnesses from raw milk, the section about the safety of pasteurized milk misleads consumers to believe that no illnesses have occurred from pasteurized milk. As you know from reviewing the same database you cite on raw milk, pasteurized milk and milk products have been associated with well over two thousand illnesses and three deaths between 1998 and 2008. Of course, to put both pasteurized and raw milk in context, the CDC recently released estimates that 47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths are attributed to foodborne illnesses every year. Foods associated with foodborne diseases include hot dogs, strawberries, potato salad, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, spinach, grilled chicken, lettuce-based salads, lasagna, shrimp dishes, eggs, bean dip, doughnuts, pears, etc. It is unreasonable to suggest that a food be banned because it can be harmful, when the facts show that any food can be harmful.
...
 It is misleading to say that pasteurization does not affect the taste or nutritional value of milk and dairy product. Cooking a food, of course, changes its taste and nutritional value. Ask anyone if they think a cooked strawberry tastes the same as a fresh strawberry, or cooked lettuce the same as fresh lettuce. Consumers of raw milk consume it because they taste the difference and, based on their own research and informed view, believe it is nutritional superior.

 The statement that No scientific evidence finds that drinking raw milk prevents or cures any diseases or illnesses.  There are no health benefits from drinking raw milk that cannot be obtained from drinking pasteurized milk that is free of disease-causing bacteria is also false. Studies in Europe have found that drinking raw milk protects against asthma and allergies. See Riedler, J. et al. 2001.

MPTE: Although we demanded that DairyMax halt its ads, they are likely to continue until we take additional steps. Help us win this fight by signing up for action alerts, getting involved, and donating today!

Texas Real Milk is a project of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, P.O. Box 809, Cameron, Texas 76520.  Phone: 254-697-2661.  Website: www.FarmAndRanchFreedom.org.  FARFA is a 501(c)(4) organization.  Your donations are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions because they will be used in significant part for lobbying. Your donations may be tax-deductible as regular and necessary business expenses, please consult an accountant.