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| Grassfed Cows on Amish Farm (courtesy of B. Brown) |
Recently our Local Amish Farmer has been facing harassment by the FDA. This has been an ongoing issue since about April 2010, when FDA agents raided his private property at 5am, waking his wife and small children and issuing a search warrant. I remember breaking into tears as I read this line as quoted by one of his children asking his momma,
" Is daddy going to jail? " (click to read full article)
" Is daddy going to jail? " (click to read full article)
Our farmer, recently received an injunction notice filed by the FDA to the courts. At this point has 12 days to respond to the FDA- so things need to move quickly. We live in Maryland, where raw milk sales are illegal- so cow-sharing (as in the consumers own the farm and animals) with a farm in Pennsylvania is one of our only options to obtain high quality fresh milk.
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| REAL LOCAL FOOD- Isn't it beautiful? It's worth standing up for! |
We've enjoyed the farm's fresh raw milk (and eggs and other foods!) for the past 2 years, and it nourishes my young child each and every day. I cannot imagine our lives without the fresh milk as it has improved my family's health in many ways. As if this were your farmer, Please bring awareness to this issue and publicize, publicize!
ACTION ITEM #1: Link these articles about what has happened on Facebook, Twitter and Blog Posts- Email to friends and family who are concious of the foods they eat- and that as a people we need to maintain and stand up for the freedom to CHOOSE OUR FOOD.
- http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/28/feds-sting-amish-farmer-selling-raw-milk-locally/
- http://www.grist.org/food/2011-04-29-picture-this-fda-agents-slinking-through-md-backyards-to-grab
- http://www.thecompletepatient.com/journal/2011/5/1/its-time-to-give-the-fda-a-dose-of-its-own-medicine-five-sug.html
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| You Know IT! Jamie Oliver Drinks RAW Milk! (photo courtesy of Organic Pastures Dairy) |
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106868286066491
ACTION ITEM #3: DONATE! The Amish Farmer will need legal funding, and the Grass Fed on the Hill group plans to challenge the FDA's harassment of small farmers. The farmers cannot do this by themselves- it's up to the PEOPLE to stand up for what THEY want! Otherwise- we'll all be shopping at BIG AG and large industrial producers- if we don't take this opportunity to CHANGE the way small farmers are treated- it's for more than yourself- it's for your future and the next generation- they need to know the REAL way to produce REAL food from Small farms!
Click Here to Make a Donation to SAVE freedom of access to farm foods!
From the Donation Site:
"The FDA has repeatedly harassed farmers across the nation for selling raw milk directly to consumers. It is time to stand up for our rights as consumers. We cannot stand by while the FDA, or other government agencies, takes away choices that we value and rely on. This case is bigger and broader than Dan Allgyer (our own farmer) extending to all farmers who the FDA is pursuing. We plan to challenge the current law and how it is enforced because government should not be overreaching into our personal lives. Whether it's alternative medicine, midwives or other choices/options, if you agree that government has intruded too much into our personal lives, please consider joining our fight!"
https://www.wepay.com/donate/1844
This is a great opportunity to teach others that this is a freedom of choice issue that is being infringed on- and we need the layman to be supportive of this issue! The FDA will always stir the fear of the people- and people need to be informed that clean raw grassfed dairy is healthy and natural- it's estimated that over 10 million people in the US seek it out!
Twitter, FB and write blog posts and send Love, Light and Prayers to this cause of food freedom and access to clean raw milk! Thank you!
Here is the Press Release from the Food Club:
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Liz Reitzig 301-807-5063 liz.reitzig@verizon.net
Grassfed on The Hill Buying Club
Consumers Defend Their Farmer Against Tyrannical FDA—
Buying Club Members Angered by FDA Sting on Amish Dairy Farmer
Washington DC—A group of more than 1000 DC area or Maryland consumers are irate at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) attempt to shut down their food supply by conducting a sting operation on their private buying club. Members of the private group contract with an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania to obtain fresh milk and other products from his farm. The FDA planted a spy in the group in October of 2009 to gather evidence against the farmer for alleged illegal interstate commerce of raw milk.
Claiming that transportation of raw milk across state lines constitutes illegal interstate commerce, FDA has conducted many sting operations and raids against US farmers providing consumers with fresh milk or fresh milk products. The most recent is this year-and-a –half long sting on the DC metro area group. FDA’s “investigation” into the activities of the group and farmer has culminated in the FDA filing a civil suit against Allgyer for introducing into interstate commerce raw milk intended for human consumption and giving Allgyer notice of a pending request for permanent injunction.
“We have every right to obtain the foods of our choice from the producer of our choice based on our values,” says the group’s founder, Karine Bouis-Towe. “There is trust that is created and built between the farmer and consumer in this relationship. The FDA and other federal government agencies should not interfere in private, direct relationships between farmers and consumers.”
The buying club and their supporters intend to fight the FDA’s claimed jurisdiction over private transactions.
List of government raids against small farms http://www.farmfoodvoicesdc.com/2011/03/list-of-raids-agains-americas-small.html
For more information about fresh milk http://westonaprice.org/ or http://realmilk.com/
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