[All] Fwd: pass along to others VICTORY

[Robert Milligan]

FYI

Robert



Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Judith McGill" <jlmcgill at rogers.com>
> Date: January 22, 2010 8:26:46 AM GMT-05:00
> To: "Judith McGill" <jlmcgill at rogers.com>
> Subject: pass along to others VICTORY
>
> Thu Jan. 21 2010 5:51:33 PM
>
> Farmer toasts win in raw milk trial with glass of the contentious  
> drink
> The Canadian Press
>
>
> Farmer Michael Schmidt talks to reporters outside court in  
> Newmarket, Ont., Thursday, July 31, 2008. (Colin Perkel / THE  
> CANADIAN PRESS)
>
> NEWMARKET, Ont. — Clutching a glass of raw milk, an emotional  
> Michael Schmidt toasted what he called a victory for the local food  
> movement Thursday after the Ontario dairy farmer was found not  
> guilty of 19 charges related to selling unpasteurized milk.
> "People need to learn how to stand up even when it seems it's  
> impossible to achieve change in our interpretation of the law," said  
> Schmidt, who was often depicted by supporters as the small farmer  
> fighting for consumer food rights against an established milk  
> industry.
> In a legal battle that played out over three years, Schmidt fought  
> to continue the operation of his 150-member raw milk co-operative  
> inDurham, Ont., and defended himself against the charges for  
> dispensing milk straight from the cow.
> Schmidt was charged under the Health Protection and Promotion Act  
> and the Milk Act after an armed raid by about two dozen officers and  
> government officials at his farm in 2006.
> While raw milk is legal to drink, it's illegal to sell in Canada.  
> Officials consider it a health hazard.
> Under Schmidt's cow-share program each member of his co-operative  
> owns a part of the cow. By owning the cow members were drinking milk  
> from their own animal, he says.
> On Thursday, justice of the peace Paul Kowarsky ruled that Schmidt's  
> method of distribution made the group exempt from the legislation.  
> He also found the operation did not violate the province's milk- 
> marketing or public-health regulations.
> Kowarsky said the Crown could not prove that Schmidt had tried to  
> market the milk. It was made clear on signs at the farm and at the  
> blue bus where Schmidt set up shop at a Vaughan, Ont., market that  
> only members could purchase products made from raw milk, he added.
> "The undisputed evidence of the defendant is that there is no  
> advertising or selling," said Kowarsky.
> The legislation was originally created to protect the vulnerable,  
> but the cow-share members were not vulnerable and were cognizant of  
> all concerns associated with drinking unpasteurized milk, he added.
> "They consume the milk at their own risk," said Kowarsky, adding the  
> product had been thoroughly tested and was shown not to be  
> contaminated.
> At trial, food scientists and health experts testified that  
> mandatory pasteurization laws are needed to protect public health.
> Schmidt argued that government officials and food scientists could  
> not guarantee the safety of any food, and suggested informed  
> consumers should be able to buy raw milk if they want.
> At the culmination of the detailed verdict, Kowarsky said the cow- 
> share program was a "legitimate and lawful" enterprise and called  
> the case part of a "search for contemporary justice."
> A Ministry of Agriculture spokesman was not able to say if the  
> ministry would be reviewing the Milk Act.
> "We're disappointed in the court's ruling," said Brent Ross. "The  
> government will review the court's decision and determine next steps."
> Thrilled supporters, some wearing sweaters emblazoned on the back  
> with "Team Raw Dairy," gasped and clapped as the justice of the  
> peace handed down his verdict. The courtroom, packed with so many  
> supporters that dozens were left standing, flocked to a teary-eyed  
> Schmidt, as they flung their arms around him.
> "He's giving us all a chance for the small farmer to enter into  
> private contracts such as cow-share or farm-share agreements where  
> we can decide what we buy, eat and how we behave," said a jubilant  
> Judith McGill, a cow-share member who has helped rally support for  
> Schmidt.
> Outside of the court, two women poured and passed around creamy  
> glasses of raw milk to people as children perched on signs reading  
> "protect our food."
> During the verdict, Kowarsky also acknowledged the growing trend  
> towards the local food movement, and said he found many cow-share  
> programs existed around the world.
> This was a message not lost on Schmidt, who said the verdict had  
> opened the door to new kind of conversation.
> "It was never a war. It was a Shakespearean drama," Schmidt said  
> coyly. "We tried to get into a dialogue."
> Schmidt has not ruled out entering the political scene so he can  
> push for the full legalization of raw milk.
> "Like (former prime minister Pierre Elliot) Trudeau said, the  
> government has no business in the bedroom of the people, and here I  
> say the government has no business in the stomach of the people  
> either."
> For Allyson McMullen, Schmidt's win is also a win for consumer choice.
> "It's so much more about milk. It's about food. It's about us having  
> the choice to put what we want in our bodies and I think that this  
> is incredible," she said.
>
>
>
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> signature database 4797 (20100122) __________
>
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