New Raw Milk Rules Of South Dakota Effective December 11

By Sam Lewis

Maximum bacteria level and labeling requirements established in new laws

South Dakota’s Secretary of Agriculture, Lucas Lentsch, has given his seal of approval to new rules regarding the production, testing, and labeling of raw milk in the Mount Rushmore State. The new rules were proposed earlier this year, and will become active Dec 11, having already passed through three public hearings with the South Dakota Legislature Rules Review Committee.

Lentsch believes that at the very minimum, the public should be aware that raw milk is unpasteurized, along with knowing the date on which it was bottled. “Those are all very minimum expectations that we’ve put out there for the raw milk producers, and it’s really for the public health and safety,” says Lentsch. The new rules will set a maximum level of coliform — naturally occurring bacteria that can benefit the human body — in raw milk at 10 per milliliter. Many farmers in North Dakota believe this number is impossible to achieve and will lead to many dairies out of business. Raw milk advocates say bacteria that naturally occur in milk increase as soon as the milk leaves the cow. Further, they argue that many beneficial enzymes and nutrients of milk are destroyed in the pasteurization process.

Public health officials claim raw milk has increased risk of being contaminated with bacteria. This contamination can lead to illness and in severe cases death. Selling raw milk to the public is illegal in some states, and becomes federal law when raw milk is shipped between states. Currently, South Dakota has five licensed raw milk dairies. They will be able to continue selling raw milk products on site or through home delivery, as long as the products are properly labeled. Lentsch has given his word that South Dakota’s Department of Agriculture will assist producers of raw milk comply with the upcoming changes in policy.

Raw milk advocates not wishing to comply with the upcoming raw milk laws have found a loophole in the with the “herd share model.” This model allows customers to buy individual shares of a cow, not the cow’s milk, which falls outside of a commercial operation. A handler milks the cow regularly, going through bottling procedures, and distributing milk to buyers of the cow.

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