State-appointed panel to discuss whether raw milk should be sold in Wisconsin

Panel to study if raw milk should be sold in Wis.

MADISON, Wis. — A state-appointed committee will soon consider whether raw milk should be sold in Wisconsin, and if so, under what conditions.

Secretary Rod Nilsestuen, of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, says the group will consider the legal and regulatory affects and what conditions would be required to protect public health.

Wisconsin law has required since 1957 that milk sold to consumers be pasteurized.

The group’s chair will be Richard Barrows, a retired Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The group also includes dairy farmers, cheese makers, consumers and food safety professionals.

The Legislature will be advised of the committee’s recommendation. The group is expected to start meeting next month.