Is Maryland Whitewashing the Black Market?

The only solution is coming together to change the laws.

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A recent incident in Maryland highlights the urgent imperative that we need to change our raw milk laws, immediately.

Prigel Family Creamery is a small dairy in the hills of northern Maryland. The Prigel family has lived on and productively farmed the land for the past 6 generations.

Their 100% grassfed, Jersey cows produce a creamy, delicious milk.

Most of it is pasteurized on-farm and sold at their farm store and at the farmers market they attend weekly.

They send some of it off-farm to a local cheese maker and they sell the lovely cheeses.

A fraction of their milk is bottled and sold as pet milk as per the current Maryland law.

Eager to grow a local market for all their farm products, the family farm is committed to following state and local regs while meeting the needs of their community.

But something happened recently that gives us pause–both the farm and those of us who support them and wish to see them succeed.

They got a cease and desist letter for selling their raw pet milk.

Why?

Ostensibly because they offered the pet milk in the wrong container.

It was not a container that is unsafe for pet food products, but in fact, Prigel Family Farm’s “wrong” container is being used by “other” vendors that sell food products to humans.

Apparently, somewhere in Maryland there is a vendor selling some kind of dairy product in a similar looking jug.

The recent container that Prigel Family Farm was using was carefully chosen initially because the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) required that raw milk pet food be sold only from containers that did not look like what a traditionally wholesome dairy container would look like so people did not “accidentally” drink the raw milk pet food…

Ironic.

Now Prigel Family Farm is being forced to sell pet food out of bottles that look like containers for commercial chemicals such as bleach and other caustic products. 

I wonder… “are black market raw dairy farmers using whatever bottles they want for food products regardless of state regulations?”

No matter. Prigel Family Farm has not chosen the ever increasing path of weaponizing illegal behavior through sensationalized media and soliciting money from unsuspecting consumers via social funding platforms.

But instead, they quickly found a bottle that is food safe, BPA free and recyclable.

A bottle that MDA could quickly and easily approve.

Prigel Family Farm acted immediately and without conflict. They mitigated liability and inconvenience to their customers ensuring that the people who wanted or needed access to this food did not have to resort to purchasing from unvetted seedy black market sources.

Let’s look at how this seemingly small action on the part of the MDA could reflect a deeper and potentially sinister mindset that actually protects the black market milk suppliers.

There is unquestionably a thriving and growing black market for raw milk along the east coast – from as far north as Boston, to the southern tips of Florida.

One needs to look no further than the ongoing case of Amos Miller and his obviously flagrant, and proud disregard for state and federal laws and regulations as well as for food safety standards.

The black market is especially strong in the DC region due to the partnering of certain fringe mindsets (Old Amish and new English) in the Lancaster County Amish population and the proximity to DC and Baltimore.

For a long time now, the FDA has had a certain mindset of its own–that raw milk is harmful and therefore must be illegal. In their own words several years ago, the agency said “no one should drink raw milk for any reason ever.”

One could practically hear the peels of laughter from the dairy farmers who drink raw milk daily, and from immigrants and guests from multiple wonderful countries where fond memories of raw milk is all they have known. They know the FDA’s statement is utterly outrageous. 

But I digress….

The FDA is tasked with enforcement of the interstate ban on raw milk intended for human consumption.

But the reality is, this prohibitive mindset seeps into decision-making at the state level as well.

Could the states be working to target raw milk farmers at the behest of the FDA? I certainly don’t know, but it seems that the propaganda levels have recently increased as well as enforcement targeting the law-abiding minded farmers.

Why does this matter?

Because this is a nation of laws. The farmers who work hard to be above board in raw milk production and sales and to operate legally are getting hit the hardest while the black market fiends continue creating a nearly unstoppable mafia-like cartel and food fear frenzy.

You’re either going to be an outlaw or you’re going to be someone who follows the law.

The case right now is that certain law-abiding, clean safe farmers are getting cease and desist letters while all around them, dirty black market milk remains widely available.

There is nothing right or good or American about this.

It’s like being pulled over by the cops while you were doing the speed limit on a state highway because your left tail light is dim and meanwhile, you're watching a gang of 20 cars weaving in and out of traffic past you in an illegal high speed street race.

But the cop stays on you and encouragingly waves their hand at the swarm of reckless endangerment flying past!

There’s an inescapable feeling when that happens.

Sometimes, it’s enough to turn good, honest Americans into members of that “gang.”

Sometimes it has.

Which is why the black market is milking millions from innocent, unsuspecting consumers while honest small dairy farmers are being forced to shut down left and right.

This is, surely, a race to the bottom.

The only way to make this right is to change the laws and the regulations for all.

Yet, due to cases such as Amos Miller and sensationalist claims surrounding his and others’ cases, well-intentioned American consumers are spending their time and energy protecting the black market.

Yet the black market does nothing to help increase food security on the local or national level.

Besides providing a product of questionable standards, what have  black market farmers done to improve access to clean, healthy raw milk outside of their own profit margin?

Three opposing forces

“Big ag” is not going to do anything to protect small farms or to work to change the laws that are harming our small and micro dairies.

In my experience and observation, it appears that big ag doesn’t want them to succeed. They are going to turn a blind eye to the black market and continue to target our small, local, independent farms.

There are three main opposing forces:

• The raw milk black market

• Big ag (large dairies and the processors)

• Local food security

If you’re the black market guy, you don’t want local food security to win. You need “big ag” coming down on the small farmer because that’s what creates your black market. 

If you’re big ag, you need the black market in order to show why raw milk and value-added products are dangerous.

But if you’re a small farmer, you don’t need the black market and you don’t need big ag. 

You can operate fine with or without them as long as the laws don’t interfere.

The law doesn’t need to be biased towards small producers, but just not interfere.

Once hyper local food security is established, it grows naturally. It’s a natural occurrence. It will be the slowest grower, but the healthiest.

On the other hand, the black market has to take its share from somewhere.

As far as the raw milk black market, there is nothing good about it.

They take and don’t give back. What is threatening to them is a legitimate market that makes them less relevant and substantially decreases their inflated prices.

We need to be in a position where people can make the right or wrong decisions in real time without the veil of secrecy. 

By most indications, there is an enormous unspoken behind-the-curtains amount of energy and money that is going into protecting this black market rather than creating viable solutions for all farmers.

Wouldn’t it be great to answer the question: “No, Maryland is not whitewashing the black market and this is why.”

Turning attention back to the 6th generation farm that was the reason for this article, why did that happen? Why did a Maryland farmer following the guidelines and providing a safe and legal local raw milk option get a cease and desist when Amos Miller and others like him are shipping raw milk all over the country, including neighborhoods near that farm?

How many people will jump on board and stand behind this Maryland farmer?

Fortunately, in this particular crisis, the quick reactions and desire to address the issue head on makes it easier for this farmer to find a “legal” solution. It also makes it easier for the agency that shut his pet milk operation down to help him get back into production!

Bobby Prigel’s been through the ringer. He’s fought all the battles. He’s doing what all of us should be doing, which is to find out what the legislation actually means and to move forward successfully and adapt until you can change the laws to be more favorable for all.

You cannot have good health if you do not have the right food. You cannot have the right food if you ignore local food security.

The solution remains simple: find where the laws need to change and work together–often WITH people in the agencies–to change them favorably for all.

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