Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed legislation Wednesday that would have legalized the sale of raw milk to consumers, saying he became convinced that the health risks from unpasteurized milk outweighed the potential benefits to small dairy farms that could have profited from the extra sales. In vetoing the measure, the governor sided with public health and dairy industry officials who said the bill raised multiple safety issues, because unpasteurized milk may carry pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses. Read More…

JEFFERSON CITY — A conference committee of House and Senate members have removed Rep. Jim Viebrock’s provisions to allow horse slaughtering for human consumption from an agriculture bill. Viebrock, R-Republic, said he was not surprised the controversial provision was being removed from Senate Bill 795. The legislation was designed to get around a congressional ban on federal tax dollars going toward the inspection of horse meat slaughtering facilities. Read More…