NC lawmakers seek to legalize sale of raw milk for human consumption

Instead of banning raw milk, a key agriculture bill now proposes studying the feasibility of making raw milk even more broadly available for people to buy. State agriculture officials have compared it to playing Russian Roulette with public health.
Posted 5/7/2025, 11:26:26 PM Updated 5/8/2025, 12:58:14 PM

ORDER CALLING FOR A REDUCTION

IN THE

FEDERAL WORKFORCE.

>> NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS

CHANGED THEIR MINDS ABOUT A

PROPOSED BAN ON RAW MILK.

THAT BAN WAS APPROVED LAST WEEK

BY THE STATE SENATE AGRICULTURE

COMMITTEE AS PART OF THE ANNUAL

FARM ACT THIS WEEK, MORE THAN

100 WALL MILK ENTHUSIAST PACKED

ANOTHER COMMITTEE HEARING

LEADING LAWMAKERS TO BACK DOWN

WRAL'S HEIDI KIRK SHOWS US

WHERE THE DEBATE STANDS TODAY

AND WHAT IMPACT IT COULD HAVE.

>> RAW MILK IS WHAT KEEPS

PEOPLE COMING BACK TO LILY DAN

PHARMA. TUCKER WEDDINGTON SAYS

WE FIRST STARTED SELLING IT.

THEY WERE ONLY MILKING TO COW'S

MILK. NOW IS THE NUMBER ONE

PRIORITY ON THE FARM AND OUR

HIGHEST SELLING IN VOLUME.

A BAN ON RAW MILK WOULD CHANGE

EVERYTHING. THEY COULD HAVE A

DEVASTATING IMPACT ON OUR

BUSINESS. ON TUESDAY, THE STATE

SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE

REVERSED ITS DECISION TO

PROPOSE A BAN ON RAW MILK IS

PART OF THE ANNUAL FARM ACT.

>> IT'S ONE OF SEVERAL PUSHES

BY THE NORTH CAROLINA

AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER STEVE

TROXLER TO REGULATE RAW MILK

FOR SAFETY REASONS SAYING,

QUOTE, IT PRESENTS A

SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH RISK

AND THERE IS NO WAY TO ENSURE

ITS SAFETY. HE'S ALSO CALLED

FOR AN END TO THE STATE'S

PARTIAL LEGALIZATION OF RAW

MILK, WHICH COULD BE SOLD IF

GRANTED AS PETS TO. THAT'S HOW

WE CEL TASE. NOW YOU'LL NOTICE

EVERY PRODUCT HERE IN THE STORE

HAS TO BE LABELED WITH THIS,

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, BUT

WITH LINCOLN SAYS THAT MOST OF

HIS CUSTOMERS ARE ACTUALLY

BUYING IT FOR THEIR OWN USE.

THE BAND'S ADVOCATES ARGUE THAT

THERE ARE SAFETY RISKS

ASSOCIATED WITH DRINKING RAW

MILK AND SOME EXPERTS SEE, IT

IS ONE OF THE RISKIER FOODS

THAT WE HAVE. IT'S A KEEN TO

>> CONSUMING RAW CHICKEN, WHICH

IS NOT SOMETHING THAT, YOU

KNOW, WE WOULD PRESCRIBE TO

INDIVIDUALS FROM A HEALTH

STANDPOINT BECAUSE OF THE

POTENTIAL FOR

>> PATHOGENS. WITHINGTON SAYS

IT SHOULD BE UP FOR THE

CONSUMERS TO DECIDE OR I I

BELIEVE THAT THE CONSUMER

SHOULD BE ABLE TO EDUCATE

THEMSELVES AND

>> IN AND ASSUME THE RISK OF

HAVE ANYTHING THEY DO IN THEIR

LIFE.

>> NOW, INSTEAD OF BANNING

WRONG BILL, THE BILL PROPOSES

STUDYING THE FEASIBILITY OF

MAKING ON MILL EVEN MORE

BROADLY AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE

TO BUY HEIDI KIRK WRAL. THEY

HAVE TO BRIEF. ALL RIGHT.

SO SENATE BILL 639, HAS ONE

MORE STOP BEFORE IT HEADS TO

THE CHAMBER FLOOR FOR A VOTE.

NOW TIME TO CHECK IN ON THE

RESULTS OF TODAY'S LIVE POLL

ON THIS ISSUE. HAVING HEARD

THIS DEBATE WERE ASKING.

>> WOULD YOU DRINK RAW MILK?

RIGHT NOW, 19% OF YOU SAY YES.

75% SAY NO. 6% SAY I ALREADY

DO. YOU CAN ALWAYS SHARE YOUR

VOICE BY SCANNING THAT QR CODE

ON YOUR SCREEN OR HEAD TO WRAL