Banning the direct sale of raw milk to the public for animal consumption is included in legislation approved a committee in the North Carolina Senate on Wednesday.
The North Carolina Farm Act of 2025, known also as Senate Bill 639, also adds new protections for pesticide companies against lawsuits. The Rules Committee was the final stop before a full floor vote.
SB369 would only allow people who are part of a “herd share” – part ownership in a farm or animals – to obtain raw milk.
Farmers in North Carolina are already banned from selling unpasteurized milk for human consumption, but nonhuman sales are allowed. The new legislation would ban nonhuman sales as well over concerns that bird flu could be transmitted from cows to milk and from then from pets to their owners.
