Nevada Gov. Sandoval Rejects Raw Milk Bill

CARSON CITY, Nev.Citing health concerns, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has vetoed a raw milk bill.

"While the bill makes some efforts to address the safety concerns of 'certified raw milk,' the proposed regulations will not mitigate the health risks associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk," Sandoval wrote in a letter to Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, returning the bill without his signature.

Assembly Bill 209 would have allowed raw milk to be sold anywhere in the state if a county milk commission certified it where it was produced and other conditions were met. Under current state law, raw milk can only be sold in the county where it is produced.

Had Sandoval signed the bill, it would have taken effect July 1, 2013.

The U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) states that raw milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illness than milk that has been pasteurized. That's a statistic the governor cited in his letter.

"The Food and Drug Administration [FDA], the American Medical Association, and our State Health Officer agree that Assembly Bill 209 presents significant public health risks. Based on these concerns, I cannot support the bill," Sandoval stated.

FDA regulations currently prohibit interstate sales of raw milk. Earlier this year, the agency denied a years-old petition that would have allowed raw milk to be distributed across state lines as long as both states authorized sales of the product.

States are free to regulate raw milk sales within their borders, and a number of them such as Montana have introduced legislation to ease current prohibitions or restrictions.