After turning down a so-called “Food Freedom” bill, a Wyoming state legislative committee is scheduled to consider a proposal today that would legalize the sale of raw milk through “herd-share agreements.”
Under such arrangements, legal in some states and done in others to skirt public food-safety laws, farmers sell an ownership share of a cow or herd to consumers who want to drink unpasteurized milk.
The action follows the state House Agriculture Committee’s narrow rejection earlier this week of a bill to exempt from state licensing and food safety inspection rules farmers and home-based food producers who sell their wares directly to consumers.
The committee turned down what was known as the Wyoming Food Freedom Act by a 5-4 vote. A similar bill, sponsored by Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, also died in a state Senate committee last year.
But during its meeting Tuesday, the House committee unanimously approved a companion bill that exempts homemade foods served at “traditional events,” including potlucks and school fundraisers, from state licensing and inspection.
