Lawmakers OK Raw Milk Bill After Veto Last Year

After a veto last year, a bill that would let West Virginians drink raw milk through animal-sharing agreements is heading back to the governor.

The state House approved the raw milk bill by an 88-11 margin Tuesday, sending it to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

The bill would let people strike agreements to share milk-producing animals and drink raw milk. It would maintain a ban on selling or distributing raw milk.

People would have to sign a document acknowledging the health risks. Animals would need to have passed health tests within the last year.

In his veto message last year, Tomblin wrote that the bill would pose a serious risk to public health, since raw milk can contain particularly dangerous bacteria for children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.