Dairy farmers and grocery retailers brought a dispute over milk to the Montana Legislature Tuesday.
Republican Representative Greg Hertz, of Polson, wants to repeal a rule from 1980 that requires milk to be sold within twelve days of processing. He says modern processing methods keep milk fresh longer, but the rule forces retailers to throw it out anyway, costing them money.
“If I, or any other retailer, throws away a gallon of milk, you may have to sell five or ten gallons of milk just to replace that one gallon of milk that you threw away,” said Hertz.
Hertz is the CEO of a company that owns four grocery stores around the state.
Teamsters Union representative Eric Anderson spoke against the proposal, claiming Montana milk processors would suffer, and would have to close three Montana processing plants.
“This bill, if passed, will close three processing plants in Montana. This does not include the devastating effect it will have on dairy farmers.”
Several dairy farmers also testified against the rule change, claiming it could hurt their business.
A report in the Helena Independent Record concluded that milk costs up to twice as much in Montana as in neighboring states that don’t have the twelve-day rule.
The House Human services Committee took no immediate action on the bill, but several members questioned the dire predictions made by its opponents.
