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Committee approves measure to expand sales of raw milk products and lift small-volume cap
Summary
SB464 would remove a 500-gallon-per-month cap on raw milk sales, allow value-added raw-milk products (butter, cheese) with refrigeration and labeling requirements, and reduce required signage size for deliveries; sponsors said it supports small dairies and consumer choice.
The committee approved Senate Bill 464, a bill to expand the legal sale of raw milk and raw-milk products by removing an existing 500-gallon monthly cap, permitting products made from raw milk such as butter and cheese, and adjusting labeling and signage requirements.
Representative Cameron Cooper, the bill sponsor, described the measure as aimed at helping small and start-up producers reach customers, including at farmers markets and by delivery. Cooper said the bill "removes the 500 gallon a month cap on raw milk sales" and adjusts signage requirements to an 18-by-24-inch sign that a producer could place on delivery vehicles.
Proponents included small-farm producers and agricultural advocates. Joy (or Joy) Ballard, identified in the hearing as a small dairy farmer and registered nurse who makes raw-milk products for her family, urged passage and described a demand for locally made raw cheese. Lily Ballard, an 18-year-old dairy producer and FFA member, told the committee the change would help new farmers earn a living on small acreage and keep young people in agriculture.
Supporters argued the bill advances local food security and economic opportunity for small producers. Opposing testimony was not recorded in the transcript for SB464; the sponsor said the bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support and that he knew of no organized opposition.
SB464 includes safety protocols requiring refrigeration for raw-milk products and a clear statement at point of sale that those products are made from unpasteurized milk. The bill also contains an emergency clause to make it effective immediately on enactment, which supporters said would allow producers to sell products at upcoming spring farmers markets.
After testimony and audience remarks, the committee adopted the do-pass motion and the chair announced the bill passed out of committee.
