Is this “salmon scented milk” report actually a GMO experiment gone bad?

Here’s a sad but no doubt true excerpt from today’s post on the Books and Boulders blog, talking about an unnerving experience with store-bought milk. This is the kind of thing that makes people want to go straight to the farm and get the real McCoy — farm fresh raw milk, produced to a standard suitable for raw consumption: 

Is something fishy about your store-bought milk?

Because I only just now got around to eating anything resembling lunch – pb&j with carrot and a glass of milk – it is now that I’ve discovered that the brand-new, bought yesterday, doesn’t-go-bad-til March 30th milk reeks of old salmon.

I wish I ran my own basement lab.  If that was the case, I’d run my own tests on the milk to discern what bacteria strain is in it, and then I’d alert the company to what brand of badness this batch was.

Polish farmers hunger strike over GMOs

When I visited Poland during the summer of 2007 I was encouraged to see that Polish agriculture was still functioning on a small local scale. I saw a cow being milking in a field into a pail and hay being transported along the road in a horse-drawn wagon. I visited a few farmers markets and bought produce there. I was thrilled to hear that the Polish government had taken a strong stand against allowing GMO crops into the country. But now, it seems that stand is wavering. Here’s the latest news we have on the situation in Poland, from OrganicConsumers.org:

Polish farmers seem to be under no illusions as to what's at stake with the introduction of GMOs.

“Edyta Jaroszewska, 42 year old organic farmer and the chairperson of the Organic Farmers Association, started hunger strike against GMO cultivation in front of Ministry of Agriculture, Warsaw, Poland two days ago.
Two days ago Danuta Pilarska, another organic farmer and chairperson of  The Organic Farmer’s Union, joined her. Yesterday, both women, together with other members of the Coalition for a GMO Free Poland, joined a meeting of the Polish government’s Agricultural Committee in the Senate in Warsaw. The committee was discussing the future of GMO in Poland.

After a few hours of debate Edyta concluded “There’s no political will within the Polish government to stop corporations from illegal planting of the GM maize variety MON 810 – and to ensure that Poland is kept GMO free. This opens the possibility of the widespread planting of MON 810 during this year. So we don’t have another choice other than to stay here and fight!”

Gordon Watson of B.C.’s ever-popular Home on the Range cowshare responds to yet another “cease and desist” order

Home on the Range cowshare, which works on an agistment (animal boarding) arrangement is located near Chilliwack B.C. and supplies some 200 families in the greater Vancouver area with farm fresh raw milk, produced for raw consumption (as distinct from for pasteurization). Seems they’ve been served with yet another order to cease and desist distributing. Here is Gordon Watson’s written responses to the legal counsel for the Minister of Health and the Fraser Health Authority:

Gordon Watson, a member of Home on the Range cowshare in Chilliwack, B.C. just east of Vancouver.

“…Earlier today I emailed you a NOTICE which I have served on the Fraser Health Authority, concerning another Order to Cease+Desist distributing raw milk.

I wonder if it is possible for you to talk some sense into your clients, so I don’t have to go through the exercise in Court, again?

Having read my material, you must admit there is a strong legal argument that milk from our privately-owned dairy is not caught by the Health Act nor the Milk Industry Act . This thing could be settled out of Court if your clients would simply admit they made a mistake.

Finding raw milk in the Toronto area

In a comment on a recent post, Callista asks: “Is there still a way I can get raw milk? I just came back from Florida where my sister-in-law buys it and I really want to start giving this to my family. I live in Richmond Hill. If anyone knows how I can get this please let me know. Thanks!”

The obvious source that would come to mind would be Michael Schmidt of Glencolton Farms. However we understand he’s seriously oversubscribed, has a lengthy waiting list and isn’t taking any more members for the time being.

You’d think that with all the legal brouhaha around Michael Schmidt’s charges and whatnot, that no one else would dare venture into the high-demand, and presumably high-risk, business of supplying raw milk to consumers who want it.