Raw Milk in Maryland
A follow up story…
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Last week, I wrote about an unfortunate enforcement situation in Maryland.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) targeted a small farm selling raw pet milk and forced them to temporarily shut down in order to find and use a different container for their pet milk.
As I reported last week:
“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…”
Yup, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
“Where does this come from?” One might wonder…
Possibly the department of agriculture (along with multiple alphabet agencies) deem raw milk so dangerous that they hope deter all humans from purchasing and drinking it and most especially, they claim they don’t want anyone to “accidentally” get raw milk so therefore requiring the milk to be packaged in odd containers will ensure there is both deterrent and no accidental sales of $12+ per gallon milk.
Let me ask you, would you accidentally pay $12 per gallon for milk in this economy? This is quite a deliberate choice that people make. Not an accident.
The farm could have gone in a different direction. They could have blasted all over social media about the unfairness of this policy and whined about getting a cease and desist letter. They could have launched a massive fundraiser and campaign to “recoup the lost sales” and hire an expensive attorney to fight this all in court.
But they did not.
Rather, they immediately sought the best possible solution to carry on under the current terms outlined in the law.
And their resolution was swift, peaceful and relatively painless.
New relationships were built. Old relationships were strengthened.
At the same time, and partially because the Prigel family acted swiftly and with the best of integrity, this incident highlighted (for all those involved) the imperative and urgent need of changing these foolish laws.
This reminds me of some of the other strange legal oddities on the books…
Like the one in New Orleans that prohibits women from driving downtown unless a man goes in front of the vehicle and waves a red flag. Wherever that law came from, it needs to go back there.
Yes, there are some problematic laws that must be addressed so that we can work hard together to create a new food system–one that can feed communities locally. A resilient food system that can immediately respond to several levels of crisis or supply chain contractions at the local level. A food system that honors and restores the ecosystem in which it exists.
Our laws can and should address these nuances.
It starts by recognizing where and how unconscionable laws (locally or nationally) constrict ethical and transparent farms such as Prigel Family Farm. The next step is coming together from all directions to support the necessary changes.
Ideally, one can look at the Prigels as a great example of building relationships on the foundational level. Honor, integrity and consistency are the traits and values that will change the mindset and approach of those who are tasked with enforcement.
I’m thrilled to be part of this process and to see a positive outcome where farmers can continue doing the hard work and offering the expertise they are best at.
But it’s (way past) time to make additional and needed changes in Maryland!
Expect to see ways you can participate in the coming weeks…
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