Great news for Bibekis: Court approves raw milk co-op

This is an amazing news for all Milk lovers and Bibekis in Toronto, who want to buy raw milk instead of the pastuerized milk.

Court approves raw milk co-op
January 21, 2010

[www.healthzone.ca]

Dairy farmer Michael Schmidt will be allowed to continue his raw milk co-operative after a Newmarket court ruled Thursday that it does not break laws against selling unpasteurized milk.

Schmidt was found not guilty on the 19 charges after Justice of the Peace Paul Kowarsky ruled that the cow-share program is exempt from legislation set out in Ontario's Health Protection and Promotion Act and the Milk Act.

The courthouse was packed with Schmidt’s supporters and the ruling was met with claps, cheers and some tears of happiness.

After leaving court, Schmidt smiled, accepted a glass of raw milk from one of his supporters and took a big gulp of his farm-fresh product. The dozens of supporters who crowded outside the courthouse cheered when they heard the verdict and also passed around glasses of raw milk.

Schmidt thanked his supporters and said he was glad to help in their fight for food rights.

“We want to be responsible for our food,” he said. “Standing up for basic rights is a moral obligation and that's what we did. I could not have done this alone.”

The verdict came one year after Schmidt’s trial began in January 2009.

During the six-day trial, the 55-year-old farmer from Durham Ont. defended himself against 20 charges for distributing milk straight from the cow. In Canada, it is illegal to sell or distribute unpasteurized milk, which health officials consider a health hazard.

Schmidt has long maintained he does not break the law by providing milk to the cow’s owners, all of whom purchase a portion of the cow and pay to board the animal at Glencolton Farms. The prohibition on raw milk does not apply to farmers.

At trial, Schmidt argued the charges that were laid against him were unconstitutional and infringed on his personal rights and freedoms.

He also said government officials and food scientists cannot guarantee the safety of any food, and argued informed consumers should be able to buy raw milk, just as they can buy raw meat.

Health officials say the purported benefits of drinking unpasteurized milk do not outweigh proven risks.

Warnings against drinking raw milk are regularly issued by Health Canada, medical associations and local health units. Officials say the risks associated with raw milk are real, and that laws are in place to protect public health.

According to the Ministry of Health, there were 145 cases of reportable enteric illness associated with unpasteurized milk in Ontario between 2005 and 2009.

"This is the best we could have hoped for," said Judith McGill, who has been a cow-share member with Schmidt's venture for four years. "This ruling is for all the small farmers who want to do right by people."

More than 100 supporters clamoured to shake Schmidt's hand as he left the courthouse. The mood among the group was joyous, party like, with people hugging, shaking hands and waving handmade signs emblazoned with slogans about liberty and free choice.

"The feeling of exoneration is not just Michael's, it's all of ours," said McGill. "We feel exonerated, too."

Charlene Creelman is a member of a cow-share program in Spencerville. This is the first time she has felt free to talk about her source of raw milk.

"I'm out of the closet now," she said, with a happy whoop. "I was in tears by the end of the ruling.

"We are a well-educated bunch. We want the traditional foods that our forefathers ate. It is good, healthy, nutrient-rich food."

Schmidt, many of his some 200 cow-share members, and other supporters gathered at a senior centre across the street from the courthouse to celebrate the ruling. Schmidt said he will use that time to thank all of the people who have supported him, his farm and his fight. The farmer, who will be back on the farm Friday baking bread, said he has plans to run for provincial office.

"If I can really bring about change, I am going to do it," he said.

this is fantastic news!

for those in US, here's a list of raw milk producers:

[www.realmilk.com]

i just found a dairy in my area, i'm excited to try it out!

what do they mean when they say raw milk is dangerous?

raw milk can have different types of bacteria in it. pasteurizing milk kills all of the bacteria.

however, most of the bacteria in raw milk are killed by the lactic acid, so it's not really that dangerous. i think it has more to do with how clean the pastures are and what the cows are fed. if you drank raw milk from a big factory farm where the cows eat their own feces, you'd probably get sick. but raw milk dairies are much more highly regulated than the big dairies. the cows are fed organic grains, the farms are cleaner, etc.

For centuries we have been drinking raw milk and in countries like India we still buy or use raw milk. In Europe too the citizens have the choice to buy raw milk but in some states of USA and provinces of Canada, they don't allow consumers to buy raw milk. Only homogenized and pastuerized milk is allowed.

May God bless this brave farmer Michael Schmidt who fought a long battle with authorities over the right of the farmers to sell raw milk to willing buyers. The government authorities stooped very low by spreading fear and false medical theories. The irony is that tobacco is legal, alcohol is legal but raw milk is illegal. The bacteria in raw milk is much safer than tobacco and alcohol. Let informed buyers take care of themselves. The government has no business dictating us what we should eat and what not.

Bibekis in Toronto area have been managing to get milk one way or the other but now it will make life easier for them when they will be able to get higher quality Bibeki milk, without the fear of doing something illegal.

Kulbir Singh

1kaur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> raw milk can have different types of bacteria in
> it. pasteurizing milk kills all of the bacteria.
>
> however, most of the bacteria in raw milk are
> killed by the lactic acid, so it's not really that
> dangerous. i think it has more to do with how
> clean the pastures are and what the cows are fed.
> if you drank raw milk from a big factory farm
> where the cows eat their own feces, you'd probably
> get sick. but raw milk dairies are much more
> highly regulated than the big dairies. the cows
> are fed organic grains, the farms are cleaner,
> etc.



Thanks for the info. Everyday I drive by work I pass through dairy farms, and I see a gigantic heap of feces. Ive been wondering for sometime what it is used for. I thought perhaps it was used for fertilizer. The thought that it can be used as food for cows never crossed my mind. how disgusting and inhumane. The cows in these farms really are maltreated you can see from their faces how sad they are. Unfortunately I cannot get raw milk for this reason I stick to organic milk because cows are kept in a more clean and humane area.

1kaur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> raw milk can have different types of bacteria in
> it. pasteurizing milk kills all of the bacteria.
>
> however, most of the bacteria in raw milk are
> killed by the lactic acid, so it's not really that
> dangerous. i think it has more to do with how
> clean the pastures are and what the cows are fed.
> if you drank raw milk from a big factory farm
> where the cows eat their own feces, you'd probably
> get sick. but raw milk dairies are much more
> highly regulated than the big dairies. the cows
> are fed organic grains, the farms are cleaner,
> etc.



Thanks for the info. Everyday I drive by work I pass through dairy farms, and I see a gigantic heap of feces. Ive been wondering for sometime what it is used for. I thought perhaps it was used for fertilizer. The thought that it can be used as food for cows never crossed my mind. how disgusting and inhumane. The cows in these farms really are maltreated you can see from their faces how sad they are. Unfortunately I cannot get raw milk for this reason I stick to organic milk because cows are kept in a more clean and humane area.