This is worth the read if you get a chance folks.
-Cate


--- info@... wrote:

> Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 10:48:35 -0800 (PST)
> From: <info@...>
> To: <catelight@...>
> Subject: California Government Official Lies About
> Raw Milk
>
>
> Dear Members,
>
> We have just send the following press release out on
> the wire services. Please feel free to send this
> announcement to local media, post it on internet
> lists and send it to California government
> officials. We will continue to keep you informed as
> events in California unfold.
>
> Sincerely,
> Sally Fallon, President
> The Weston A. Price Foundation
>
> CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL LIES ABOUT RAW MILK
> For immediate release. January 4, 2008
>
> Raw milk proponents who have claimed that government
> officials often deceive the public about the safety
> of raw milk found clear evidence of this practice in
> a recent statement from the California Office of
> Constituent Affairs.
>
> A letter signed by David Richey, Office of
> Constituent Affairs, sent to California consumers of
> raw milk, states that in September 2006, "the
> California Department of Public Health linked six
> cases of infection with the deadly E. coli O157:H7
> to the consumption of raw milk." The letter refers
> to the September 2006 outbreak of virulent E. coli
> now definitively tied to spinach grown in
> California.
>
> Although officials of the California Department of
> Food and Agriculture (CDFA) accused Organic Pastures
> Dairy, California's main producer of raw milk, of
> selling tainted milk, thorough investigation of the
> milk, the cows and even the manure at Organic
> Pastures Dairy failed to find virulent E. coli or
> any other pathogen.
>
> The state was forced to make a monetary settlement
> to compensate Organic Pastures Dairy for loss of
> business during the unnecessary two-week recall.
>
> "The actions of California officials typify what we
> are seeing in many parts of the United States," says
> Sally Fallon, president of The Weston A. Price
> Foundation, a nutrition education foundation that
> promotes the consumption of raw milk. "Raw milk is
> often the whipping boy for illness caused by other
> foods. Health officials publicize a 'link' between
> raw milk and illness on little or no proof and
> ignore much more likely vectors of illness, such as
> salads or deli meats. They can find a 'link' between
> raw milk and illness by asking victims about raw
> milk consumption and not about other foods they have
> consumed."
>
> Fallon notes that In September, 2003, the FDA, USDA
> and CDC jointly released a report comparing the risk
> of listeriosis carried by various foods. On a
> per-serving basis, this report estimated that deli
> meats are 10.8 times more dangerous than raw milk
> and that non-reheated hot dogs are 9.2 times more
> dangerous than raw milk. Since deli meats are so
> commonly consumed, on an absolute basis they carry
> 515 times as great a risk as raw milk.
>
> Furthermore, two people recently died in
> Massachusetts from listeria in pasteurized milk.
> "Where are the government warnings to avoid deli
> meats, hot dogs and pasteurized milk?" asks Fallon.
> "Only raw milk is singled out as a menace."
>
> The letter from the Governor's office also states
> that "raw milk sold for direct human consumption is
> illegal in all or part of 42 states."
>
> "Once again, the state of California is lying to the
> public," say Fallon. "Raw milk may legally be sold
> in over 30 states and may be sold in stores in eight
> states. California citizens whose health depends on
> access to raw milk deserve fair and accurate
> statements from public servants, not lies and
> misinformation."
>
> The new standard passed by the Legislature in AB
> 1735, without hearings or debate, sets a maximum
> amount of beneficial probiotic coliform bacteria at
> no more than 10 bacteria per mL in milk sold raw to
> the consumer. If enforced, AB 1735 could make raw
> milk unavailable because coliform bacteria-which are
> harmless-multiply rapidly when milk is machine
> bottled.
>
> Just before AB 1735 took effect, January 1, 2007,
> the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund filed a
> lawsuit in San Benito County. Part of that lawsuit
> requests an injunction which would legally protect
> raw milk producers against enforcement of AB 1735
> standards. In addition, a new law will be
> introduced in January reversing AB 1735.
>
> "AB 1735 unfairly targets raw milk and is not
> necessary for public safety," says Taaron Meikle,
> president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
> Fund. "The two raw milk dairies in California have a
> superlative safety record."
>
> The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF)
> defends the sale of raw milk and other farm products
> directly to the public. In states where raw milk
> sales are illegal, FTCLDF helps farmers provide raw
> milk to consumers through cow-boarding and
> herd-sharing contractual agreements.
>
> CONTACTS
> Sally Fallon, President, The Weston A. Price
> Foundation
> 202-962-0333, safallon@..., www.westonaprice.org
>
> Taaron Meikle, President, The Farm-to-Consumer Legal
> Defense Fund
> (703) 964-7421, TGMeikle@...,
> www.farmtoconsumer.org
>
> Pete Kennedy, Esq., Vice President, The
> Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
> (941) 349-4984, glfcstmnrs@...
>
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