Raw milk testing rules being clarified in SD

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RAPID CITY (AP) — South Dakota's Agriculture Department is drafting new rules for the testing of raw milk.

The revised regulations will govern the testing of unpasteurized milk that farmers sell directly to consumers. Department policy director Courtney De La Rosa tells the media that the goal is to make the rules easier to understand and more consistent.

De La Rose says the revisions that are part of Gov. Dennis Daugaard's Better Government Initiative will make testing "more user-friendly" for both farmers and consumers.

Advocates of unpasteurized milk met with state officials this week. Those advocates included the owners of a Belle Fourche area dairy that was shut down for five days last October after its milk tested positive for bacteria.

Any rule changes will require legislative approval.

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