This story, by Jessica Leeder, was published in the Globe just before the January 21st not-guilty verdict was handed down in Newmarket court. Now that that verdict is being appealed by the Crown, the points made in this article take on a new relevance. Excerpts:
Michael Schmidt in his milking parlour -- Deborah Baic, Globe and Mail
“Chewing a hay lunch, Svetlana, Viola and Leah display a bored calm in their wide, brown eyes. Their glazed looks belie the burgeoning legal war over the product of their udders.
These unassuming dairy cattle have become symbols of a growing international food rights movement fuelled by mistrust of the industrial food system….”
“….The Schmidt case, which began when his farm was raided in 2006, has captivated food rights academics and advocates in Canada and around the world who argue the court’s decision will ripple well beyond the raw milk community. At its crux, they argue, the case is really about the extent to which consumers should be free to buy foods, however rarefied, and whether constitutional rights stretch as far as the grocery basket, farmer’s market and the people who own shares in – but do not live on – food producing farms. Continue reading →
The Bovine 