A Pennsylvania Amish farmer was convicted last Tuesday on charges of selling raw milk across state lines, scoring a victory for those who advocate selling only pasteurized milk to consumers.

Daniel Allgyer, owner of Rainbow Acres Farm and Rainbow Valley Farms in Kinzers, Pa., packaged and sold raw milk through interstate commerce for more than two years. After ignoring warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that he was breaking the law, Allgyer attempted to skirt the law by entering into cow-sharing agreements with his out-of-state customers.

The U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania ruled that these cow-sharing agreements were "merely a subterfuge" for selling a potentially harmful product and that they were not legitimate for selling across state lines.

Other states are pursuing cow-sharing as an option, however. A bill that would make cow-sharing agreements legal is currently moving through the Kentucky Legislature. The bill, S.B. 47, would only allow cow-sharing and purchases of raw milk from the cow within the state of Kentucky.

FDA has long warned that raw milk could contain harmful bacteria that are effectively killed by pasteurization. Despite this warning, several states are now moving toward legalizing raw milk sales in their states. IDFA opposes the sale of raw milk for human consumption and will continue to monitor these developments.

For more information, contact Kyle Shreve, IDFA coordinator of legislative affairs, at (202) 220-3533 or kshreve@idfa.org.