A Toast to Michael Schmidt as he continues the Good Fight.
(picture by DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR)

Some governments don’t know when to stop.  Ah, but that is what we call tyranny isn’t it?  Citing that Judge “Kowarsky “erred in law” in ruling the public can opt out of provisions in the acts “through a private contractual arrangement.”" the prosecutor has decided to press the appeal in the well publicized Michael Schmidt raw milk case.  I say it is an overdeveloped sense of ego that is driving him and not a desire to “protect” people from this dangerous product.  What ever the true motive, we offer a toast to Michael for his on-going perseverance in the face of tyranny.  May we all stand as tall when we are faced with injustice.

Here are a few quotes from Megan Ogilvia at the Toronto Star.

The farmer from Durham said the appeal to the Ontario Court of Justice signals “the next stage in a serious battle” for food freedom.

“This is not about milk. This is about the respect for the individual’s right to make choices without government interference,” he said in a statement. Schmidt was handed the notice of appeal Thursday.

…

Kowarsky (The lower court judge) ruled the farmer does not advertise his product to the public and cited a lack of evidence that people got sick from consuming Schmidt’s dairy products.

Schmidt, 55, maintains he does not break the law by giving milk to some 200 cow-share members, who buy a portion of a cow and pay to board the animal at his Glencolton Farms. Ontario’s raw milk laws do not apply to farmers, who can legally drink their own cows’ milk.

Here are a few link round ups:

• http://www.yorkregion.com/article/103116
• http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/raw-milk-crusader-schmidt-says-ont-govt-wasting-time-by-appealing-his-acquittal/
• http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/province-refuses-to-accept-raw-milk-acquittal-michael-schmidt-to-hold-news-conference-tuesday-feb-16th/
• http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2010/02/schmidt-fights-for-food-freedom-and-raw-milk.html

Farmer Michael Schmidt will hold a media conference on the Province’s appeal, Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 9:30am, in the Press Room, Queen’s Park

There is a preceptive piece from David Gumpert on The Grist.  David, of The Complete Patient, outlines the shift in tactics the government has been using to intimidate those who would “produce”, sell, or consume raw milk.  I don’t quote them below but he also gives a good outline of some of the major raw milk flashpoints in recent history in the article.

When the current phase of a nearly century-long government campaign to convince American consumers to abandon raw milk launched in 2006, heavy-handed intimidation tactics were the order of the day…

…Those earlier assaults on owners of small farms generated enough unfavorable publicity that federal and state authorities have opted for a less distasteful approach. The emphasis now is on ever-closer regulatory oversight of raw milk sellers and distributors, as well as court actions.

A major target over the last year has been private buying groups. These groups of anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of consumers have organized in states where raw milk either is banned for general sale, or else available only from dairy farms. They have grown out of the exploding popularity of raw milk and the resulting demand by consumers to be able to conveniently obtain raw milk without traveling hours to a farm. In many states, they have long been tolerated … until now.

You can read the full article along with all the details of the previous and current government raids and tactics on grist.org.  Also if you really want a good read check out David’s book, The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights.