State legislation to allow the sale of raw farm milk to the general public moved a step forward Wednesday with some key changes, including the removal of an immunity clause for farmers.

By a 5-0 vote, the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Higher Education recommended approval of the bill that would allow raw milk sales direct from farms licensed by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The legislation is expected to be voted on by the full Assembly and Senate before the session ends in April.

Under the latest version of Senate Bill 434, raw milk sales could only take place at farms where the milk was produced.

Farmers would have to post a sign declaring that raw milk does not provide the benefits of pasteurization and may contain disease-causing pathogens, and warns certain people of other health risks.

Farmers would be prohibited from advertising the sale of raw milk except for an on-farm sign.

Their milk would have to meet all of the requirements of a Grade-A dairy farm license, including delivery of a portion of the raw milk to a dairy plant where it would be tested for things such as pathogens and antibiotics.

Sellers of raw milk also would be required to obtain monthly tests for pathogens, and the results would be filed with the state Agriculture Department.

Temporary measure

The authorization for raw milk sales would expire Dec. 31, 2011. Before then, some legislators hope to pass a permanent measure allowing raw milk sales.

Last week, hundreds of raw milk advocates packed a legislative hearing in Eau Claire, demanding the right to buy and sell unpasteurized dairy products that some claim have powerful health benefits but that detractors call dangerous.

Advocates say the dairy state's handling of the issue will send an important signal to the rest of the country. With the exception of limited, incidental sales, state law currently prohibits the sale of unpasteurized milk to the public because it could carry bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses.

The original legislation would have given farmers immunity from liability if someone became ill from their unpasteurized milk.

Immunity clause dropped

But the immunity clause was dropped after critics said it would set an unfair precedent in the food and beverage industry.

"A lot of people saw that we were granting immunity to this one group of people and not others," said state Rep. Chris Danou (D-Trempealeau), one of the sponsors of Assembly Bill 628 that would allow raw milk sales.