The menace of moo-shine

DAIRY is a way of life in Wisconsin. Milk is the official state beverage. Locals proudly refer to themselves as “cheeseheads”. Hats in the shape of slices of Swiss are popular. A heart-stopping treat called “fried curds” is a staple bar snack. Local licence-plates read “America’s Dairyland”. All of which perhaps explains why the state authorities took the conduct of Vernon Hershberger so seriously.

Mr Hershberger runs a traditional dairy with 40 cows. State law prohibits selling milk to the public without pasteurising it first. But Mr Hershberger tried to get around this stricture by setting up a “club” which provided raw milk (also known as “moo-shine”) to its members—until state food inspectors raided his farm, destroyed the milk they found and put him on trial.

Members of the ARMi (Alliance for Raw Milk internationale) and other “food freedom” activists flocked to the courthouse, brandishing placards declaring, “My milk My body My choice” and “Land of the free? Tell my cow”, among other slogans. They likened Mr Hershberger to Rosa Parks, a celebrated civil-rights activist, and demanded the freedom to eat (and drink) whatever they like. The jury was sympathetic: on May 25th Mr Hershberger was acquitted of operating without the proper licences, although he was found guilty of moving food the authorities had ordered him to keep as evidence after the raid.

Mr Hershberger is not the only crusader for raw milk, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture not the movement’s only foe. The federal government prohibits moving the stuff across state lines, although it has no power to regulate it within state boundaries. The Food and Drug Administration’s website explains that unpasteurised dairy products are more likely to make those who consume them sick than pasteurised ones. It adds that moo-shine’s purported health benefits are unsubstantiated.

Raw-milk activists are not cowed. Their kind of milk is much tastier than the processed muck, they say. In some of the 20 states that ban its sale, they operate “herdshares”. A farmer sells stakes (not steaks) in cows that he tends. He then gives raw milk to shareholders, and charges a maintenance fee. If not the land of the free, America is certainly the land of the ingenious lawyer.