Farmer cleared of 'raw milk' charges

Court gives consumers access to unpasteurized products
Posted: January 21, 2010 8:16 pm Eastern © 2010 WorldNetDaily
Natural foods advocates are claiming a victory today after a court ruling cleared a dairy farmer of a string of charges he faced because of the raw milk he sold to members of a cow-sharing consortium.

According to natural foods blogger Kimberly Hartke, Michael Schmidt was found not guilty in a verdict that took a judge more than two hours to read.

The judge "found that Michael had done his due diligence, developed a proper contract, and that everyone was informed," Hartke reported. "The judge went on to say that Michael met a need for the people."

The case against the Ontario, Canada, dairy farmer hearkens back to similar disputes in the U.S. over the same issue.

WND previously reported when Mennonite farmer Mark Nolt of Maryland had his farm raided by SWAT-type agents and was fined more than $4,000 and had his equipment confiscated for providing raw – or unpasteurized – milk to participants in his program.

In the Ontario case, the ruling from the Newmarket justice of the peace found the cow-sharing operation Schmidt runs out of his Durham farm does not violate milk-marketing and public-health regulations.

The ruling concluded a three-year war over his business and means his milk legally can be distributed to consumers who have purchased "cow shares" in exchange for access to the milk.
[Obtain the final shocking, revealing and detailed 58 page version of Petition and Report in Favor of Raw Milk that was handed to each U.S. Congressperson by Aajonus and some friends]. [to learn who Aajonus is, click here].

Drinking raw milk in Canada is not banned, but other laws require pasteurization on most commercial milk products. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, 10 U.S. states – including California, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and New Mexico – allow licensed farmers to sell raw milk with a warning label at grocery stores.

In other states, like Canadian provinces with tighter restrictions, consumers often participate in a "cow-sharing" or some other arrangement to gain access to such products...