Raw milk mooovement hits Regina

From Christeen Jesse, on the Regina School of Journalism’s “Ink online”:

Raw milk drinkers Emily Kutarna (left) and Jana Kutarna (right) at the Food Freedom Rally in Regina on Nov. 23. Photo by Christeen Jesse

“It’s rich, it’s creamy, and it’s illegal.

The sale of raw (not pasteurized or homogenized) milk is banned in Canada, but on Nov. 23, raw milk drinkers around the country rallied against the law.

“It needs to be brought to the public’s attention that we really don’t have the rights and freedoms for choosing the foods that we want to put in our mouths,” said Katy Helliwell, organizer of the Freedom Food Rally in Regina.

Cross-country raw milk checkup — rallies ready to roll out tomorrow

From Charlene Bishop in Edmonton:

Poster for Nov. 23 raw milk events in Edmonton.

From Katy Helliwell (Regina):

OK, in Regina we are ready to go! Media and politicians in the know-check, posters made-check, speeches and speakers arranged-check, nice weather on its way-check so come on down to the Saskatchewan Legislature at noon on the 23rd. We need our collective voices to be heard so policies can begin to be reviewed and changed. Spread the word, see you there, thanks everyone!!

From Jan Steinman (Victoria, B.C.):

Nationwide raw milk rallies Nov. 23 in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, St. John’s, Wolfville

From Margo McIntosh at Balance Your Apple (current as of Nov. 6):

“….November 23^rd in Ontario – at 11 a.m. we are having a rally at Queens Park in Toronto – Michael is to bring a cow to milk (provided he is well).  If he can’t we will find another farmer to do it.  Organizers are Margo McIntosh at margo@balanceyourapple.com and Charlotte VanGenechten at gushue_8@sympatico.ca

Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt tells Regina audience that pasteurized milk causes more diseases than we think

C. J. Katz writes about raw milk and Michael Schmidt’s recent visit to Saskatchewan, on her “Savour Life” blog titled “The Raw Milk Debate”:

Michael Schmidt makes his point in Regina. Photo via Savour Life blog

Raw Milk. Canada is the only G8 country to have a total ban. British Columbia has declared it to be a hazardous substance. The raw milk debate is heating up in Canada and driving the issue is Michael Schmidt, the German dairy farmer from Durham, Ontario who has been taking his fight to allow the sale and distribution of raw milk to the courts of the land. In mid-January, a Newmarket court acquitted him of 19 charges of distributing raw milk and raw milk products. This was after he lost 500 of his 600 acre farm, all his machinery and 42 of his 45 cattle.

Raw milk in Sask…. it’s a moovement!

Here’s a report on the Regina Saskatchewan meeting with raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt from Jane Kutarna, who’s involved with the local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter. Thanks Jane.

Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt meets with Saskatchewan farmers and regular folks in a church hall to talk about raw milk concerns. Thanks to Michael for passing on these pictures to the Bovine.

On December 5, about 60 citizens of Saskatchewan gathered together to listen to dairy farmer Michael Schmidt talk about the politics of raw milk sales in Canada.  Several small dairies had the opportunity to meet with Michael as a group and discuss raw dairy herd shares.

Raw milk cow share meeting Dec. 5th with Michael Schmidt, farmers and regular folks, in Regina Saskatchewan

Michael Schmidt met today with people in Saskatchewan who are interested in the cowshare approach to raw milk. He sends these pictures from the meeting:

Of course raw milk was an important part of the event!

About the workshops, Michael Schmidt wrote: “Great meeting in Regina. First with over 70 people and then with about 10 farmers discussing cow share Canada. Planning cow share college in the spring.”

Michael Schmidt en route to Regina Saskatchewan for meeting with farmers and others interested in cow sharing

Michael sends these pictures via Facebook:

On the way to Regina passing grain elevator in little prairie towns.

Michael Schmidt to talk raw milk in Regina, Sask. Dec. 5th — be there!

Coming soon, early next month, Michael Schmidt once again heads west to meet with farmers and concerned citizens over an unlikely issue which has galvanized a wide swath of the electorate over the last few years.

Poster for the Regina raw milk event -- perhaps the first one ever!

But perhaps it’s not so much raw milk itself that has gotten people so up in arms, but rather the government’s way of dealing with it. Certainly there will be lots to talk about at the Regina meeting.