Estrella Family photo from 2006. Via Augie's Journal of Natural Food and Healing.
“Last night at about 5:30 three cars pulled into the yard with FDA and Federal Marshals, alarming our kids. They posted a seizure order that named all cheeses on the property. This is serious, it could put us out of business.
I need to write something more lengthy than I have time for right now. But tomorrow we will be at the University District farmer’s market, sadly without cheese. But we’ve invited the media and would love to have our customer’s voices heard. Because we’ve been hearing you voice very strong opinions about wanting the right to choose your food. Please feel free to come and ask questions.” — Kelli
Explore the farm’s website here
Here’s what Augie is saying about the situation on his Journal of Natural Food and Healing:
“The Estrella kids from the Estrella Family Creamery in Washington state got a shock the morning of October 22 when the FDA showed up to shut the creamery and cheese production down and embargo all the cheese–while the parents, Anthony and Kelli, were away at the farmers market.”
“….As in the Morningland case in Missouri , the FDA claims there is a potential of contamination with listeria. But, where is the data?
The report came my way first thing this morning while at the Raw Milk ARMi Boards, specifically the Washington Alliance for Raw Milk Facebook site, as I was finishing my raw yogurt with roasted pecans and coconut flakes. I thought maybe I could lay off the milk raid stories for at least a day. But no, I had to click just once and then twice.
In the Saturday edition of Seattle Local Food, a plea went out to help the Estrella family. It explains why the FDA agents have a bee in their bonnet over the possibility of someone getting sick from nibbling on national award-winning artisan raw cheese from pastured cows grazing on organic grasses.
The claim: Risk of exposure to Listeria. However, Estrella’s current inspection records (available today at the market) show that all cheeses have tested negative. There was apparently a positive test for Listeria at a point in the past, and so the FDA decided to shut down the dairy on the claim that the cheese might have Listeria, with no burden of proof to demonstrate they do, or to acknowledge records that show this is no longer a problem.
Anthony Estrella said this morning that even starting to fight this would cost $20,000-$30,000 or pro bono legal representation.
MY COMMENT: The legal and philosophical “precautionary principle” states that if an activity’s or product’s risk to human health and the environment is unknown, then it must be proven to have no risk before it may proceed– or until the activity is controlled by the state. This is known as zero-risk or zero-tolerance mentality. Risks may be acceptable, but only if allowed by the State through its regulatory apparatus as developed by the government/corporate/academia partnership. This is especially true when offering superior and healthy raw dairy products that encroach on the competition of the milk monopoly– or creme cartel. It also applies when government agencies are so large they must always prey on small folks to justify their existence….”
Read more on Augie’s Journal of Natural Food and Healing.
The Bovine 
This is a very sad story. What a great photo though — they all look so happy to be working together as a team on their farm! The FDA has a lot of nerve, they should be prosecuted in Washington state.
An encouraging word to the Estrella Family Creamery: keep up the good fight, you are right! There is no healthier food than that made responsibly by healthy pastured bovines.
The movement is increasing, one day decades from now we’ll all remember these days around a warm fire and wonder how in the world the bad guys ever lost when it seemed all odds were against us.
Aye though, we have the truth on our side.
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this does not surprise me in the least, when the Feds shut down a business without any proof of contamination, it is just one more indicator of the corruption that is taking place in this Nations Governmental structure and the fact that the Federal Reserve who has been giving out more money to big businesses and not to this beleaguered cheese making farm, just goes to show how corrupt it has become, especially with the current man made economic down turn.
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