Raw milk “Godfather” in court Feb. 5th

We haven’t heard any news from Michael Schmidt in what seems like ages. But now, out of the blue, here’s  a story in his hometown paper, giving updates on several of his pending court proceedings. From the Owen Sound Sun Times:

Raw milk Godfather Michael Schmidt at his farm. Photo via Owen Sound Sun Times.

DURHAM – Durham raw milk advocate Michael Schmidt will seek at the Court of Appeal for Ontario Feb. 5 to overturn convictions for distribution and sale of raw milk in 2006.

The appeal relates to Schmidt’s cow-share raw milk operation at the time in which shareholders received raw milk from his Glencolton Farms near Durham.

Farmer Michael Schmidt calls B.C. raw milk cosmetics battle “ridiculous”

From the Owen Sound Sun Times:

Durham area raw milk advocate Michael Schmidt and his four year old son William at his Durham area farm on Friday September 30, 2011. James Masters\The Sun Times

DURHAM – Local raw milk advocate Michael Schmidt’s appeal of a British Columbia judge’s contempt of court finding against him is based what he views as the lack of proof anyone drank his milk and lack of clarity of the court order he was found to have breached, he said Tuesday in an interview.

Schmidt said he restructured a Chilliwack, B.C. dairy farm to produce cosmetics to comply with an injunction which ordered him and others not to package and distribute unpasteurized milk for human consumption.

But Superior Court Justice Randall Wong called the cosmetics claim a “ruse” and found Schmidt and farm owner Gordon Watson in contempt of the court by violating the injunction.

Chief Medical Officer of Health, Hazel Lynn, is the highest paid civil servant in Grey Bruce, earning $319,288

It must be a tough job dealing with the likes of raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt. From Denis Langlois at the Owen Sound Sun Times:

Grey Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hazel Lynn and medical student Katrina Piggott [who no doubt earns a lot less] at the health unit building. Photo via Owen Sound Sun Times.

“Dr. Hazel Lynn was Grey-Bruce’s highest-paid public servant in 2012 for the fourth straight year.

The local medical officer of health earned $319,288 last year, 5% more than she received in 2011, according to the latest sunshine list released by the province Thursday.

More than 225 people in Grey-Bruce are on the 2012 Public Sector Disclosure, which is made up of civil servants who received more than $100,000.
Seventy-six employees with the Bluewater District School Board made the list, along with 34 from Grey Bruce Health Services, 31 from the Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board, 15 from Grey County, 14 from the County of Bruce and four from the Grey Bruce Health Unit.

Karen Selick’s unpublished letter to the editor of the Owen Sound Sun Times, re the Montana Jones Shropshire sheep

From Karen Selick:

This is the letter that I prepared for the Owen Sound Sun Times on July 4, 2012 after discussing with the editor Doug Edgar my concerns about inaccuracies in their reporting on the Montana Jones story.  Mr. Edgar led me to believe in our telephone conversation that he would publish my letter if I took the time to write it; otherwise, I would not have spent the time.  However, 7 weeks have now gone by, and despite several back-and-forth e-mails with Mr. Edgar, he still has not published my letter, nor has he given any commitment that he will do so.  In order to prevent my effort from being a total waste, I am offering this to The Bovine for publication.

Dear Editor of the Sun Times,

Michael Schmidt wins leave to appeal raw milk verdict — media roundup

The Torstar Toronto free newspaper “Metro” ran a variant of the Canadian Press story, along with this great picture from the Toronto Star archives. Click image to go there.

Leading American raw milk journalist David E. Gumpert, contrasts the Michael Schmidt story to the messy aftermath of the Rawsome food club raids in California. Here’s an excerpt from his The Complete Patient blog:

“It is never a simple matter for a defendant who has lost to the government to convince an appeals court to take another look at the case, whether in Canada or the United States. But on Thursday, the lawyer for Canadian dairy farmer Michael Schmidt convinced an appeals court to re-examine his conviction on 13 counts of violating the province’s dairy laws.

Grey Bruce Health Unit still mulling what to do about further charges in Michael Schmidt raw milk case

From Tracey Richardson in the Owen Sound Sun Times:

A toast for the Queen, whose family are known drinkers of raw milk at the Owen Sound raw milk rally in October 2011 during which milk was seized by Chris Munn of the Grey Bruce health unit. For more on the earlier story around this incident click on the image above.

“The Grey Bruce Health Unit has yet to decide if it will bring new charges against Durham area dairy farmer Michael Schmidt, but medical officer of health Dr. Hazel Lynn promises the matter will not be dropped.

On Oct. 13, Schmidt allegedly distributed unpasteurized milk at a public rally outside the health unit office in Owen Sound. That followed a September Ontario Court of Justice ruling that upheld several charges against Schmidt, brought by the province in 2006, related to the production and distribution of raw milk.

In November, Schmidt was fined $9,150 and placed on probation for a year. He has publicly declared that he will not pay the fine.

Milk with the shelf life of nuclear waste

From the Owen Sound Sun Times:

Editor:

Natural milk (from bovine) is acknowledged to be one of the most beneficial, nutritious food source there is, when taken from the cow under reasonable sanitary conditions and immediately cooled to prevent increased bacterial activity.

As in the consumption of any bovine product, approved herd health certification must be obtained. The open-ended declaration that “raw milk” is hazardous to ones health is a blatant fallacy.

The sale of natural (raw) milk is illegal. Why?

Today’s milk is being sold as “natural”. It is not.

Raw milk, the Canadian Wheat Board, and dairy supply management

From Jim Algie, in the Owen Sound Sun Times:

“An obvious ideological gap exists between the current federal government’s staunch defence of supply-management, marketing limits for some Canadian farmers while insisting on “marketing freedom” for western wheat and barley growers.

I refer, of course, to the government’s controversial decision to abolish the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly. Reporters ask logically, “Can abolition of supply-management for cows’ milk and poultry be far behind?”

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has a sensible, political explanation. He can handle criticism for philosophical inconsistency because supply management has flourished.

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.

Dr Hazel Lynn: Michael Schmidt’s hunger strike is “not a rational way of dealing with the problem”

From Tracey Richardson in the Owen Sound Sun Times:

Dr. Hazel Lynn, chief medical officer of health at the Grey Bruce Health Unit

“The Grey Bruce Health Unit is expecting to hear any day now official word on how it’s going to proceed on new charges against Durham-area raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt.

Schmidt distributed milk at a public rally outside the health unit building early in October. Later tests indicated it was unpasteurized.

Health unit lawyers and provincial lawyers have been considering how best to proceed “to stop this blatant breaking of the law,” said medical officer of health Dr. Hazel Lynn….”