VVMA Legislative Day

Several VAFAP members, including Dr. Melinda McCall, Dr. Tom Massie, and Dr. Nathaniel Burke, traveled to Richmond for the VVMA's annual Legislative Day. They specifically addressed HB 2030, which would have allowed direct-to-consumer sales of raw milk and other uninspected, uncertified and unregulated foods at farmers markets, on farms or at producers’ homes. The VAFAP, along with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unanimously warn the public against consuming unpasteurized, raw milk. The risks of consuming raw milk range from gastrointestinal illness to kidney failure, paralysis, and death. It is the position of the VAFAP that the risks of consuming raw milk far outweigh any potential benefit. The bill was defeated by a vote of more than two to one.