I liked this post on The Freedom Outlaw about people who like raw milk. Possession of raw milk is not a crime. Selling raw milk is a crime.
One effect of milk pasteurization laws is that they squeeze small farmers. As always, the burden of regulation falls higher on small farmers than on large farmers. Owning a milk pasteurization plant requires a substantial amount of milk. As a small farmer, selling your milk to a pasteurization plant puts you at the mercy of a corporate cartel. A ban on selling raw milk removes small farmers from the market.
One way farmers "workaround" the restriction is by selling "partial ownership" in a cow.
Personally, I would "workaround" the restriction by selling raw milk completely off the books. Unfortunately, you can't keep a couple of cows in your backyard as a hobby. It's too easy for the red market to notice who owns a cow. Owning a cow without registering it with the government probably is a crime.
It's not clear if milk pasteurization is beneficial or not. It eliminates bacteria. It also eliminates some of the nutritional benefit of milk. Some people say that raw milk tastes better.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Agorist Toolkit - Free Market Raw Milk
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Glad you posted this.
Last summer I was WWOOFing in B.C. Of course, the government is a bastard and doesn't let farmers sell uncertified milk. So one of the families I stayed with would sell it as "animal food". Then the customers could feed it to animals , or just drink the milk themselves. A good way to get around the state.
There was also a problem of the government banning the sale of uncertified meat. To get it certified, you have to have it slaughtered at a government abattoir, which was two days of driving away. So then small farmers have to stop raising livestock.
Just another example of the government screwing over the little guy.
Regardless of what you somebody will always have a problem with it. Any kind of milk will produce some kind of problem with consumers. Some are lactose-intolerant, some are on a super diet, some don't think cows are that holy, some won't like the taste. The list can go on. The State stomping on market forces just makes the problem worse. Everyone in the end eventually loses out.
Great agorist post.
Post a Comment