Talking raw milk to the legislators

From Raw Milk Consumer.ca:

Raw milk rally Queen’s Park, Toronto, Oct. 2011, when Michael Schmidt was on a hunger strike.

“Call to Action – within Ontario

Those of you in Ontario probably remember that past Premier Dalton McGuinty told Michael Schmidt, at the end of his hunger strike, that he could speak to caucus.  None of us knew that Premier McGuinty would not be in office for long.  Now we have a new Premier who is also our Agriculture Minister.  We need to reach out to her respectfully to ask for her help.

Salmonella tainted Mexican papayas prompts Consumer Alert from CFIA

That’s what we do when a health hazard doesn’t involve raw milk!
From the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) website:

Note that one of the pictures above is of cows -- clearly a food source in need of much inspection

“OTTAWA, August 26, 2011 – There was a recent outbreak of Salmonella agona in the United States linked to papayas from Mexico. As a result, the United States Food and Drug Administration has put import controls on papayas from Mexico.

Canada imports papayas from Mexico through the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is working with authorities in the United States and Mexico to identify any products that have been shipped to Canada. Based on this information, theCFIA will determine if Canada requires additional import controls.

Michael Schmidt goes to Edmonton for court case and talks June 7th, 8th, 9th

Michael Schmidt is back from Prague, where he spoke at a raw milk conference. But he’ll have just a few days to regroup at the farm before he heads off to Alberta for a lecture tour culminating in the latest in a series of court appearances in the raw milk case of Judith Johnson and Eric Pudlow.

The date for that court appearance has been set for June 9th at 1 pm in Room 355 of the Edmonton courthouse. Everyone — supporters, media, dairy farmers, consumers, lobbyists, regulators, policy makers — is invited to come out. Michael has apparently discussed things with the lawyer in advance with a view to wrapping up the case on that date rather than delay or postpone for futher proceedings.

Survey indicates demand for raw dairy and nutrient-dense foods will increase

The latest from David E. Gumpert at the Complete Patient blog:

“…Evidence is mounting that demand for raw dairy and other nutrient-dense foods will continue, even accelerate. The latest indication comes from the huge accounting and consulting firm, Deloitte, which has just published results of a national survey on “Consumer Food Safety”. While the focus of the survey is on safety, when it comes to food, a higher percentage of respondents (54%) are concerned about “healthiness of the ingredients or product” than “safety of the ingredients or the product” (49%). (See page 9 of the report.)

This isn’t to suggest that safety isn’t a major worry, but mainly to highlight how widely the concerns about health are spreading. This constitutes a major business opportunity for farmers of all types, especially dairy farmers. Look for more smart ones to take advantage of the opportunity that beckons and move to escape the market power Big Dairy wields over farmers, and finally begin to make money from their investment and labor.”

Michael Schmidt to speak at raw milk symposium May 7th, 2011, Minnesota

From Bradenton.com:

“The explosive increase in raw milk consumption—according to CDC statistics, at least ten million Americans now consume raw milk—has created innovative partnerships between consumers and their farmers. By accepting responsibility in their food choices, Americans are paving the way to the next phase of the US local food movement: partnership with producers to ensure we a way of providing raw milk and other healthy foods that our families require for good health.

The Farm-to-Consumer Foundation and the Foundation for Consumer Free Choice will co-host the Third Annual Raw Milk Symposium: Producer-Consumer-Choice in Bloomington, Minnesota. The event will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2011, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Bloomington. It is open to the public. Farmers and consumers are especially invited to learn more about the safety and health benefits of Raw Milk as well as the critical relationship between producers and Consumers.

B.C. dairy farmers want milk tested for radioactivity, Canadian food inspection agency refuses their demands

From Tiffany Crawford, at the Vancouver Sun:

“Canadian health agencies have no immediate plans to measure the amount of radiation in milk following Japan’s nuclear crisis despite the demands of B.C. dairy farmers who want officials to follow the U.S. and test dairy products.

“There will be no testing of milk,” Alice Danjou, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said Friday.

The news came as a disappointment to Robin Smith, executive director of the BC Milk Producers Association, which earlier this week called on the agency to test the milk in an effort to prove to the public the levels are low enough to consume.