National Farmers Union supports raw milk advocate at Owen Sound rally

From Agri-Media.ca:

Sean McGivern speaks at Michael Schmidt's Grey Bruce Health Unit rally.

“The Grey County local of the National Farmers Union helped organise a protest in Owen Sound yesterday.

About a hundred people rallied at the Grey Bruce Health Unit headquarters in support of raw milk activist Michael Schmidt.

Grey NFU President Sean McGivern says drinking raw milk is an issue of freedom of choice.

Decision on the Province’s appeal of Michael Schmidt raw milk acquittal has now been postponed til September 16th

From Don Crosby at the Owen Sound Sun Times:

“Raw milk crusader Michael Schmidt will have to wait a couple of more months to find out whether a judge will overturn his acquittal on 19 charges related to selling and distributing raw milk.

In January 2010 Justice of the Peace Paul Kowarsky ruled in Newmarket that Schmidt’s cow-share program for raw milk consumers did not violate provincial regulations meant to protect public health.

Kowarsky found that under Schmidt’s program, consumers became “part owners” of his dairy cows, so the system complied with the province’s Health Protection and Promotion Act.

The Province of Ontario’s appeal puts the spotlight back on raw milk rights

Farmer Michael Schmidt talks to A Channel reporter. That's lawyer Karen Selick in the background.

The Province of Ontario’s appeal of Justice Kowarsky’s January 2010 acquittal of raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt began yesterday at Newmarket court with Justice Peter Tetley presiding.

Shortly after the courtroom door was unlocked at 9:30 am, the small space was fully occupied — with reporters, a few legal types, an observer from the Ministry of Health, but mostly with raw milk supporters of various sorts. As a dozen more people arrived over the course of the morning, accommodations in the pew-like benches went from full to packed, bringing the audience total to about forty.

Opening round in MNR and Grey Bruce Health Unit appeal of raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt’s Jan. 2010 acquittal

Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt (right) shares a night lunch with visiting American raw milk reporter David E. Gumpert, in his farmhouse kitchen, under the watchful eye of filmmakers' cameras on the eve of his acquittal in January of 2010. That acquittal is now being appealed.

Judge Paul Kowarsky’s January 2010 acquittal of raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt has gone a long way toward legitimizing raw milk in Ontario. Subsequent to that decision, which was a year in the making, Michael Schmidt has been busy traveling around the continent speaking to groups of farmers and citizens who share concerns about raw milk, food freedom and the role of government.