Raw milk farmer fined $9K
Posted November 25, 2011 7:23 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An Ontario farmer who was convicted on 15 charges relating to the sale of raw milk has been fined $9,000 and sentenced to one year of probation in a Newmarket court.
Michael Schmidt, who describes himself as an activist, said Friday he will appeal the decision.
In Ontario, it’s illegal to sell unpasteurized milk, but it is legal to drink it.
Schmidt had operated a cow-share, a co-operative farm where customers each owned a portion of a cow. He said he wasn’t selling milk – just the animal.
Schmidt also argued that food safety issues that prevent the sale of unpasteurized milk aren’t necessarily found on small, organic farms, and are related to how cows are being fed.
Schmidt said that consumers should be allowed to make their own decisions about the food they eat.
His legal ordeal has lasted five years. Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources raided his Owen Sound-area farm in November 2006.
Earlier this year, Schmidt was acquitted, but Judge Peter Tetley overturned that ruling in September.
