“the Organic Review: Raw Milk Farmer is being Penalized…Again by Ali Papademetriou For those who are familiar with the health benefits of unpasteurized or raw dairy milk, they are probably also aware that the federal and most state governments are at a constant battle with it. Only about half of the United States allows farm sales, only a handful of states allow retail sales, and the rest either have stringent rules in place for it or have completely illegalized it altogether. As far as farmers getting trouble from the government about their raw dairy products – they receive plenty of it. In January, Morningland Dairy, a family farm that has never received one complaint in three decades, was raided by the Missouri Milk Board and put out of business solely because it produced raw cheese. Then, for Amish dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger, his raw milk case made headline news on most independent and online news organizations. In June of 2010, the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATC) raided his farm, sealed shut his food supplies, contaminated his raw milk and took him to court for being unlicensed to sell. Hershberger’s farm produced food for only for his family and private buying club, all of who were outraged to find out that the farm was shut down and that Vernon was being penalized for making real food without the state’s blessing. His food has never caused anyone to become ill and clearly has never harmed anyone. Then almost three years later, he appeared in court for his weeklong trial, which resulted in only a $1,500 dollar fine – far less of a sentencing than what he was expecting to potentially receive. In May, Maine’s Blue Hill dairy farmer Dan Brown received somewhat of some closure with penalties that he was facing with the Department of Agriculture. Years ago, the Ag Dept. told Brown that he was legally able to sell unlicensed raw milk on the side of the road as long as they were not wholesales, but things changed when the department sued him in 2011 for doing so. On May 2nd, the judge ordered Brown to halt all raw milk sales without being licensed, but he attempted to persuade the Justice to retract her charge against him. Also, he was charged with damages and court fees, which totaled over $1,000. And of course, the raw milk stories are never-ending. Last year, Minnesota raw milk farmer Alvin Schlangen was found not guilty of three misdemeanor charges relating to raw dairy distribution. Now, the state is attempting to nail Schlangen again – he is being charged with selling raw milk and other raw products without a permit to his private buying club. To be precise, some of the “issues” that the Department of Agriculture found with his retail was that the eggs he was selling were “too cold”, he didn’t have a license to handle his own food, and he had “misbranded” his food. When Food Riot Radio asked Pete Kennedy, president of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund who is also representing Schlangen in court, about why the state would attempt to convict him with the same “crimes” again, Kennedy stated, “It’s all about control. Alvin has a private buyers club and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture refuses to recognize any distinction between public and private distribution of food.””
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 15:26:44 +0000
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