A 22-member raw milk working group will continue its work through October on a compromise among farming regarding the sale of non-pasteurized milk to consumers.
The group began work late in 2009 following a controversy over the sale of raw milk directly off a Loganville farm in Sauk County. Some farmers believe they should be able to sell raw milk that comes straight from the cow if consumers are willing to buy it. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) had brought the issue to court because of state licensing rules that restrict the sale of raw milk. The rules require that general sale of milk must be a grade A pasteurized product that does not pose consumer health risks such as salmonella.
"The (working) group is still meeting and will meet through October," public information officer Lee Sensenbrenner told Examiner.com today. Anyone is welcome to attend the Sept. 7 session at the DATCP office but there will be no public comments taken. The group's goal is to develop compromise legislation for the 2011-2013 Wisconsin legislative session.
The working group has stayed on task while dealing with the tragic death of DATCP secretary Rod Nilsesteun who drowned in Lake Superior while swimming July 22. Nilsesteun, 62, had been on vacation in the Upper Peninsula and doing volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity. Nilsesteun had formed the raw milk working group as a forum for "frank and honest dialogue in a real effort to come to a consensus," says Sensenbrenner, "not to guide them to any type of agreement."
Nilsesteun had been DATCP secretary since 2003 after serving 24 years as chief of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives. As secretary, Nilsesteun helped establish the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) and the Wisconsin Corn Promotion and Soybean Marketing Boards.
"He was an amazing mediator," adds Sensenbrenner,"who had a deep understanding of farm issues. He will be missed."
For updates on the raw milk working group, go to Wisconsin Eye or the DATCP website, www.datcp.state.wi.us.
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