The state Senate Transportation Committee recently advanced a bill exempting licensed milk haulers from travel bans imposed during emergency declarations.
Under the bill, milk haulers would be allowed to transport milk on highways during inclement weather travel bans. The haulers would be issued a Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board decal that they must display.
“Cows just don’t turn themselves off when it snows,” co-sponsor Sen. Gene Yaw (R- Bradford) said. “Milk haulers are some of the most experienced drivers and they know what the roads are like here. They have the experience and judgment to be able to transport their product safely even during winter storms.”
During 2018, more than 2,700 dairy farms closed, including 370 in Pennsylvania, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
The legislation, Senate Bill 588, is part of the Farming First bill package. Other bills address agritourism, farmland preservation, safety and the transportation of large farm equipment.
“There is a very limited window for milk to be transported before it perishes,” Sen. Judy Ward (R-Blair), the bill’s cosponsor, said. “When travel bans impact milk haulers, dairy farmers may be forced to dispose of their product as cows continue to produce milk regardless of the weather. Losing an entire day of work and revenue is extremely hard for dairy farmers who are already suffering due to low market prices.”