Raw milk sales will become legal in West Virginia effective June 7th, 2024 – 90 days after the bill passed on March 9th. Previously, only herdshares were permitted since 2016.
The bill passed without the governor’s veto or signature. Not sure how that works, but soon West Virginians and travelers will be able to purchase raw milk directly from the farm in West Virginia without joining a herdshare co-op.
Herdshares co-ops, which remain a preferred organizational structure in some niche cases, will be unaffected. There was a previous law that prevented dairy farmers from also running herdshares, that law has been struck with the passing of this bill.
Raw milk must be sold with an “unpasteurized raw milk” label and warning that the milk has not been pasteurized. Farm name, address, and production date must also appear on the label.
Read more about West Virginia’s raw milk bill, HB4911, and its companion bill SB4736 in the WV Senate.
