AUGUSTA, Maine - The sponsor of a Maine bill designed to loosen the restrictions on raw milk sales says the legislation is dead.
Rep. William Noon's proposal would have allowed dairy farmers to sell unpasteurized milk directly to customers without a license. Noon says the state Senate "took no votes on the matter and killed the bill.''
The House passed the bill on Monday by a vote of 80-67, but the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry voted 7-6 earlier against the measure. Some opponents of the measure say loosening restrictions on raw milk could pose a public health risk.
The bill only applied to farmers who sell to consumers at their farm and required the farmers to take a sanitation course. It also prohibited them from advertising.