“Governments should back off in raw milk fight” — the Sudbury Star

From Bill Glisky, in the Sudbury Star:

Activist and mom Liz Reitzig at Tuesday's FDA "Milk and Cookies" protest rally. Photo by Kimberly Hartke

“No one would argue that governments have a vital role in protecting health and safety.

The issue is with how far any government goes in providing that protection.

In May, we noted how the provincial health ministry had stepped beyond the realm of protecting us from bad eggs to protecting us from our own judgements by cracking down on eggs being sold at farmers markets.

The same situation exists with raw milk, where Ontario farmer Michael Schmidt is in the midst of a long court battle over his selling and distribution of unpasteurized milk.

Got (raw) milk? Ontario dairy farmer fights for raw milk and food rights

From Talia Gordon, in the (University of Toronto) Newspaper:

Families gather in Queen’s Park to demand that Premier McGuinty meet with Ontario raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt. Photo by Geoff Vendeville

Thursday October 27, 2011: “Protesters and supporters met and rallied outside Queen’s Park on Tuesday to demonstrate their solidarity with Michael Schmidt, an Ontario dairy farmer whose ongoing fight for the right to produce and distribute raw milk has launched a critical national conversation about the control and regulation of local food. Currently, it is illegal to distribute raw, (unpasteurized) milk in Canada. In a powerful move to call attention to issues around access to raw milk and other food-access rights, on October 1, 2011, Schmidt began a highly publicized hunger strike.

Schmidt is the owner of Glencolton Farms, in Durham Ontario, and has been producing and distributing raw milk for over 17 years. Originally from Germany, Schmidt holds a Master’s degree in agriculture, and was trained in the tradition of biodynamic farming, a holistic and highly sustainable method of organic agriculture that treats farms as ‘closed’ organisms.

Raw milk debate not so black and white — Elisa Vander Hout in the Sun Times

From Elisa Vander Hout in the Owen Sound Sun Times:

Michael and his wife Elisa in Italy a few years ago at a Slow Foods Film Festival where a film about Michael and raw milk in Canada was premiering. Thanks to Michael for the photo.

Editor:

This letter is in response to the letter written by Dr. James Dykeman published Oct. 21.

I completed a bachelor of science and agriculture degree at the University of Guelph with a major in animal science in which I focused on dairy nutrition as I believe that anything can be achieved through proper nutrition where feed is coming from healthy soil.

CTV Vancouver covers raw milk rally

From CTV.ca coverage of the Nov. 2nd rally. Full video on CTV news.

Michael Schmidt in Vancouver yesterday. Frame grab from CTV video.

The 2% — is it occupying YOUR fridge?

From Facebook:

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