INDEPENDENCE, Ky. — Outbreaks of bird flu have been linked to the consumption of raw milk in multiple states, prompting recalls and debates over whether people should ever drink it.

What You Need To Know

  • Outbreaks of bird flu have been linked to the consumption of raw milk in multiple states

  • Eddie Gibson, owner of Ed-Mar Dairy in Independence, said he needs to take extra care to make sure his farm's cows are healthy and the milk is handled safely 

  • All the milk from his farm goes off to be pasteurized before it’s sold in stores

  • Gibson never sells directly to customers, though many have tried

Eddie Gibson, owner of Ed-Mar Dairy in Independence, has been running the farm for almost 20 years. It once belonged to his wife Marcy’s grandparents.

“It gets in your blood; I mean, I grew up doing it," Gibson said. "It sure isn’t for the money. Small dairy farmers are getting left behind. It’s all I know." 

Like many dairy farmers, he drinks raw milk all the time.

“Oh, yeah, I grew up doing it," he said. "When I was a kid, we were exposed to all of those bugs. But nowadays, most kids live in a pretty sterile environment. Hand sanitizer everywhere you turn." 

All the milk from his farm goes off to be pasteurized before it’s sold in stores. Gibson never sells directly to customers, he said, though many have tried.

“I mean, I get phone calls weekly and emails from folks wanting to buy raw milk," he said. "There (are) some folks that claim health benefits to drinking raw milk. I’ve never seen any research to back that up, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen."

"People do get sick from drinking raw milk. I mean, it happens pretty often. Usually, they just get sick and get over it. And it doesn’t happen all the time, but if they did get really sick or if someone dies, which does happen, I can’t buy enough insurance. Somebody else would own the farm.”

Joe Mester, professor of biological sciences at Northern Kentucky University, said he thinks it's relatively new for a flu virus to be transmitted through cow milk. 

"That’s, I think, caught a lot of people by surprise," Mester said. "It seems to really hone in on the utters of lactating cows, and that I think is really unusual for a respiratory virus to replicate there and perhaps spread that way. And now, it’s spreading to 13 states, so that’s pretty rapid spread. Hopefully, we can get ahead of it and stop it before it breaks out more into people.”

Mester’s background is in general microbiology, with a focus on virology and immunology. He and his students work on developing vaccines for different pathogens.

He hasn’t studied milk directly.

“But we have used it," he said. "It’s actually a great media for growing microbes. I mean, there’s so much kind of great nutrition and nutrients for us as well as microbes in milk. So that’s why I can see it’s quite dangerous if you don’t store it properly or perhaps pasteurize it." 

Gibson said that’s why he needs to take extra care to make sure the cows at his farm are healthy and the milk is handled safely. And while he prefers the taste of raw milk, he doesn’t recommend it for everyone.

“Kids, their immune system isn’t developed as much," Gibson said. "The elderly, a lot of the time, their immune system is weak. And if there was a bug of some kind in the raw milk, they would have the greatest risk."

“If an adult wants to drink raw milk, that’s their choice. There are risks. I mean, milk is a perfect place for bugs to grow. Just don’t sue the farmer if something goes bad.”

Mester said he understands people wanting to be natural when it comes to their food, but they have to balance out the safety risks.

“I would always err on the side of caution and safety," he said. "I mean, sure, it’d be fun to try. I’ve never tried raw milk. I probably would, but I think I’d want to feel really certain about where it was prepared." 

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