So what’s the next big thing in the raw milk and food rights mooovement?

From Margo McIntosh‘s “Balance Your Apple” blog:

“As most you probably know by now, the court system has failed to recognize that tax paying citizens in Ontario have the right to choose what they eat and drink in this “free” country of ours.  Michael Schmidt is again looking at a legal battle in his attempt to stop this ridiculous control that makes no sense to anyone who understands the raw milk movement and the realities of safe raw milk.

Now is the time for consumers to stand up and make themselves heard by the governments of every province.  There are a group of us organizing rally’s across this country.  Here in Ontario we will be doing a raw milk rally fundraiser for the Canadian Constitutional Foundation at 11 a.m. on November 23, 2011.  What we want to see is every province of this great country of ours join us by having a rally at exactly the same time.  I know that there are hundreds and probably thousands of people right now drinking raw milk safely in this country of ours.  Many of you have been quiet and waiting to see what happens.  It’s time to put your voice to ours and stand up for your rights or I promise you that you will lose those rights.  We can no longer sit back and wait for someone else to “fix” this.  Michael Schmidt cannot do this alone.  He needs your help.  We need your help.  Here are some things you can do:

State of the food rights movement

David E. Gumpert, on the Complete Patient blog;

Sign from Rawsome Food club in California.

“It sure would be nice if the emerging food rights movement could always pick its spots to protest government brutality and criminality against farmers and food clubs. Note, I am choosing my words carefully here. Yes, when government agents from ten or more agencies steal hundreds of pounds, thousands of dollars, worth of food–not once, but twice in 15 months– that members of a club have contracted for, that is brutality and criminality.

I’m talking about the Rawesome Food Club situation, but it’s not just Rawesome that has been brutalized. It’s Denise and Joseph Dixon (Morningland Dairy), Barb and Steve Smith (Meadowsweet Dairy), Dan Allgyer, Michael Hulme, Wayne Craig, Mark Zinniker, Max Kane, Vernon Hershberger, Grassfed on the Hill food club. And their compatriots in Canada are intent on making an example out of Michael Schmidt. I’m sure I’ve missed some names here, and we don’t even know all those that have been hit hard by the ripple effects of the government clampdown on Rawesome and these other food clubs and farmers. Sharon Palmer was just one of many farmer suppliers to the food club. 

Toronto Star editorial writer applauds Justice Tetley “ending raw milk risk”

From a recent Toronto Star editorial:

“Louis Pasteur was right — and so is an Ontario court ruling against the distribution and sale of potentially dangerous raw milk. Self-described advocates of “food freedom” may lament the finding against Grey County dairy farmer Michael Schmidt, and he vows to appeal. But public safety must come first.

The ruling by Justice Peter Tetley reverses an earlier, ill-judged decision that had allowed Schmidt to continue his raw milk operation on grounds that the farmer’s “cow share” cooperative did not violate health and safety regulations. While the sale of unpasteurized milk is banned in Ontario, farmers are allowed to drink their own product. Taking advantage of that, Schmidt had people buy a share of his cows and obtain raw milk as a result of their investment. Tetley didn’t accept that marketing dodge, and rightly so.