Raw milk

[Guest guest]

Following is a story I picked up from the Internet, this article was dated

1995.

ys, Rohita dasa

 

Organic Raw Milk Setback

by Helen Forsey

The campaign by an Ontario farm family and their health-conscious customers

for the right to consume raw milk has suffered a setback. Michael and

Dorothea Schmidt, of Glencolton Farms near Durham south of Georgian Bay,

have been forced to drastically reduce their dairy farming operations in the

wake of decisions by the provincial Health Protection Appeal Board and the

courts, which prohibit them from selling their organic raw milk products.

The Schmidts had created a unique "lease-a-cow" program, where consumers

paid them for an animal's feed and upkeep, and in return gained access to

raw milk and milk products (see Natural Life #36, May-June, 1994). Just as

farmers are allowed to drink their own cows' milk without it having to be

pasteurized, the Schmidts' consumers claimed that they in effect, were

consuming "their own" cows' milk through the lease arrangement. Provincial

health officials and the Milk Marketing Board, however, saw things

differently.

When authorities raided their farm and store last spring, the Schmidts

decided to fight for their customers' right to choose, and for their own

right to develop a niche market for organic raw milk products. Though not

opposed to supply management, they wanted the system to be flexible enough

to allow for raw milk options. They and their lawyer, farm activist Allen

Wilford, maintained that their products met all legitimate health

requirements, and that in fact raw milk was better for many people, notably

those with lactose intolerance. At the Appeal Board hearings in late April

and May of 1994, Schmidt and Wilford pointed out how contradictory it was

for the government to allow farmers to drink unpasteurized milk while

claiming that it would endanger public health for consumers to do the same.

They argued that the 1938 Health Protection Act banning raw milk was flawed

and outdated, and described the widespread informal raw milk market that

exists. They pointed out that European countries and more than half of the

US states allow the sale of raw milk. In contrast to these arguments, the

government's position was as full of holes as a Swiss cheese.

The Board delayed its decision repeatedly, presumably because of the

complexity of the issue, but there may have been political reasons as well.

In June, OMAF also laid charges against Michael under the Milk Act, but the

trial was also postponed. The delays prolonged the agony for the Schmidts,

who still had 35 cows to feed and milk, but no market and a very uncertain

future. In the face of further raids, mounting legal costs and the threat of

a major fine, they decided to sell part of their operation. Nevertheless,

they bravely continued to put the issue before the public through meetings,

interviews and information sessions, and support continued to build.

Finally, last fall, the Board decided against the Schmidts. Michael pleaded

guilty to charges of selling unpasteurized milk; he was fined $3,500 and

ordered to dismantle the dairy operation within 30 days. Almost immediately,

the insurance company cancelled the Schmidts' liability and fire insurance,

and no other company would take them on. Caught in an impossible situation,

they were forced to take the heartbreaking step of selling their herd.

The Schmidts are now in the process of appealing the Board's decision. They

continue to farm, and to work with their supporters towards a political

solution.

This case is particularly important now, because we need organic local

alternatives more than ever. NAFTA and GATT are opening our borders to

whatever the agribusiness and pharmaceutical multinationals care to promote,

and horrors like Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH or BST) are making devastating

inroads into our lives and health.

Our governments must be persuaded that organic raw milk and milk products

represent an important option for both farmers and consumers. We need a

marketing board quota for raw milk, and closer links between farmers and

consumers along the lines that the Schmidts were pioneering. The Schmidts

themselves need continuing support, both to finance their appeal and to

pressure the government. For more information or to send a contribution,

write: Glencolton Farms, RR 1, Durham, Ontario, N0G 1R0.