Over the past decade, Republicans have ardently stood by raw, unpasteurized milk.
Their biggest victory came last May when the Iowa Legislature passed a bill legalizing the sale of raw milk directly from farms to consumers. Dubbed the “fresh milk bill,” Senate Bill 315 was approved following a 37 to 13 Senate vote, allowing producers to sell raw milk to Iowans, along with raw milk products like cheese, yogurt and ice cream. The bill’s earliest iteration was conceived back in 2008, after Iowa State Senator Jason Schultz visited a local farmer who received a cease-and-desist letter for selling unpasteurized milk to his friends and neighbors. In the wake of Senate Bill 315’s passage, Schultz and many of his Republican supporters celebrated the so-called win. Schultz said he’s waited 17 years for a raw milk bill to clear the Legislature.
