Tim Wightman, president of the Farm-to-Consumer FoundationThe topic of raw milk safety isn’t on the formal agenda of the Second Annual Raw Milk Symposium opening tomorrow in Madison, WI.

But the announcement by the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation, sponsor of the symposium, that it is making available at no charge both a video and a book devoted to guiding farmers in producing safe raw milk speaks volumes about a changing agenda among raw milk proponents.  Even though safety isn’t on the agenda, I would expect a fair amount of discussion at the symposium about how raw dairies can reduce the chances of product contamination.

Yes, raw milk proponents like the Weston A. Price Foundation will argue that they have always been concerned about safety. I won’t dispute that. The real issue, though, concerns priority.

Let’s just say that safety has moved up a few rungs in the raw milk advocacy hierarchy, thanks in significant measure to outbreaks of illness over the last year associated with raw milk in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan. While the illnesses have nearly all been reasonably mild, they are being taken by some as a warning sign, something deserving of serious attention, as raw milk becomes ever more popular.

Making a video and booklet available at no charge may not seem like a big step in this age of free Internet content, but it is a major move in the context of the raw milk movement. Both items have been available for many months now at nominal charge. But charging for the video and book inevitably constrained distribution.

Many farmers, always under financial pressure, could easily decide to forego the items. Equally significant, sites operated by universities and government agencies could use the charges as an excuse not to link to the items, and continue to argue that the raw milk movement doesn’t really care about safety.

Now, this isn’t to suggest that university and government groups are going to recognize anything or anyone advocating raw milk, even in the context of safety. But gradually, some in the opposition have been indicating they might be more receptive to raw milk availability if safety received greater emphasis from raw milk proponents. Much more important is the public at large—it needs to understand that the public health and medical communities, in particular, are cynical about both food safety and the importance of nutrient-dense food. Making the video and book available for free in effect sends a loud message that raw dairy producers take safety seriously.

And safety is the major focus of these publications. Says “Raw Milk Production”, a book by Farm-to-Consumer Foundation president Tim Wightman in its introduction: “It is imperative that farmers providing raw milk pay scrupulous attention to the health of their cows, the cleanliness of their barn and milking equipment, and their processes for milking and storing the product…you have an obligation to all other raw milk producers to maintain a careful and sanitary operation. One major outbreak due to carelessness on your farm could mean a setback for the entire raw milk movement and thousands who depend upon it for good health.”

It then goes on to provide extended detail about how to milk, how to maintain the milking area, and how to prevent and recognize various bovine diseases. In a press release put out yesterday, Wightman states: “These materials are the starting point for a collaborative effort to develop ‘best practices’ to guide dairy farms working to meet the rising demand for raw milk from pasture-raised cows, whether the legal framework is loose (as with voluntary farm-to-consumer standards for cow shares) or more formal (as with larger scale retail sales).”

Steve Bemis, attorney and Foundation Board Member, asserts in the same release that these free resources are an important step in building a working relationship on raw dairy safety issues. “In many cases, academic and government entities will not (for policy and ethical reasons) link to resources that are for sale; so, by providing these ‘freeware’ resources, we hope to encourage links from others’ websites, and thereby engage a broader audience.”

Make no mistake—the higher priority being given over to raw milk safety is a threat to many opponents of raw milk. Their loudest arguments against raw milk have been that producers don’t care about safety and, even if they do, raw milk can’t be produced safely. They trot out every outbreak of illness to “prove” their arguments. If producers can get rid of the first argument, then the second argument will lose its impact, since there will be ever fewer outbreaks.

As I indicated, this isn’t to argue that opponents will suddenly change their minds about raw milk. Many are so locked into their ideology against raw milk that nothing will convince them. But the public attitude will continue to become more accepting, make that demanding, of not only raw milk, but other nutrient-dense foods in general. And the public will become ever more cynical about the ideologues who run the regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which desire to limit access to good food, and push ever wider use of prescription drugs.