Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt with lawyer Karen Selick of the Canadian Constitution Foundation at recent Queen's Park press conference Nov. 17, 2009. Media, MPPs and supporters were in attendance.
November 21, 2009 is the 3rd anniversary of the armed raid on Glencolton Farms to shut down a successful legitimate local food operation, which provided amongst many other products fresh raw milk to its members.
I am here at Queens Park today for the 5th time to update the Premier his Ministers the MPP’s and the press about the current status in relation to the raw milk issue.
Canada and Ontario has a special significance in this world wide battle for food rights because of its total prohibition to sell or distribute milk which is not pasteurized.
It is crucial to take notice that there is no ban to consume raw milk.
In the last three years our battle here in Ontario gained world wide attention partially due to the reputation that Canada still claims to be the best and freest country in the world.
Where do we stand?
-The Court will hopefully come down with a decision on January 21st, 2010 in the Provincial Court in Newmarket.
-Since the raid in 2006 Glencolton Farms has nearly doubled its numbers of cows due to the increased demand.
-Since 2006 we have provided approximately 1 million servings to our cow share members without one single reported outbreak of sickness.
In the meantime cold cuts from Government inspected plants have killed over 20 people across Canada. Product recalls from Government inspected plants with Listeriosis contamination continues until today. It is noteworthy that no charges have been laid, no ban of cold cuts has been implemented by Parliament and no armed raids take place in these plants.
-We have changed our cow share concept into a farm share co-operative to better reflect the nature of our operation and to high light the commitment of our members.
We have installed video security and introduced additional security measures to protect our members from intentionally contaminated products. This is an ongoing concern of ours which is justified by the nature of some actions on behalf of Government officials or agents in recent years here and in the United States.
The increasingly aggressive stand of Government agencies to infringe on the basic right of individuals to make an informed decision for them selves and their children has forced us to be very concerned and on a continues alert.
Since 1994 I have been promoting a constructive dialogue with all players involved. I continue to be committed to dialogue, transparency and openness. That’s why I continue to come back to Queens Park every year.
Glencolton Farms can be visited anytime. I do encourage those in power to come down from their throne to see for themselves how we produce a safe and wholesome product for those who need it for their well being.
Michael Schmidt
Post-presentation discussion with media reporters. Karen Selick of Canadian Constitution Foundation in the foreground talking to a reporter from I Channel. That's Michael Schmidt behind her.
The Bovine 