All News / Outbreaks /

Legislature: Raw-milk producers endorse dairies bill


Kathie Durbin of The Columbian News reports that a House bill that requires state licensing of all dairies regardless of size has been endorsed by state regulators as well as raw-milk producers. The bill raises the possibility of a special license specific to microdairies, to take into account the costs of small farms.
House Bill 3010, like its Senate counterpart, makes clear that cow-share arrangements are still legally dairies and subject to the same standards as traditional commercial dairy operations. In cow-share arrangements, people buy “shares” of a milk cow or goat in return for a portion of the milk produced, rather than purchase the milk outright.


The bill also would give state inspectors new enforcement tools that would allow them to inspect unlicensed dairies and obtain their customer lists. It would make selling raw milk without a license a class C felony.
An amendment to the bill takes into account smaller “microdairies” that do not have the financial threshold of larger corporate dairies.
Microdairies will be based on how much milk they produce, how many animals they have or other criteria, and would develop “size-appropriate and economically feasible” standards for licensing, inspection and testing of the milk or cheese produced.

Get Help

Affected by an outbreak or recall?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

Get a free consultation
Related Resources
E. coli Food Poisoning

What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...

E. coli O157:H7

E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...

Non-O157 STEC

Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...

Sources of E. coli

Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...

Transmission of and Infection with E. coli

While many dairy cattle-associated foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to raw milk and other raw dairy products (e.g., cheeses, butter, ice cream), dairy cattle still represent a source of contamination...

Outbreak Database

Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

View Outbreak Database