If you look at the recent legal scorecard, the Food Rights movement is getting clobbered. Losses in Maine (Dan Browns food sovereignty case), Wisconsin (Vernon Hershbergers appeal of his single misdemeanor conviction, along with rejection of Zinniker-Craig case) and Canada (Canadas Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal of Michael Schmidts conviction of violating Ontarios dairy laws).
Yet people involved in the most recent cases continue to press on legally. Dan Browns food sovereignty supporters are organizing for more Maine towns to pass ordinances sanctioning private food sales. Vernon Hershberger is filing an appeal of his conviction with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, based on his contention that the judge at his trial failed to allow him to properly defend himself from an administrative order (by the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection). Michael Schmidt is continuing to supply his shareholders with raw milk and other food; he has said his conviction in Ontario is moot, since he reorganized the legal structure of his herdshare many years ago so that shareholders have become owners of his farm. If the authorities want to pursue him, theyll need to launch a new legal action.
The communities supporting these farmers continue to organize themselves and find new ways to support their farmers. A prime example will be occurring tomorrow evening in Milwaukee, with a fundraising event to help Hershberger rebuild a large shed destroyed by fire last year, just prior to his criminal trial. Among those speaking on behalf of Hershberger will be farmer Joel Salatin, lawyer Elizabeth Rich, activist-entrepreneur Max Kane, and yours truly.
There is political action in the works as well. The biggest upcoming event is the inaugural Food Freedom Fest September 5-6 in Virginia, sponsored by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Several members of Congress are expected to be speaking, along with activists like John Moody, Sarah Pope, and Michelle Ray.
Another example of political action involves the upstart campaign to draft Michigan farmer Mark Baker to run for sheriff in 2016 in his home county.
The reality is that, despite the court losses, all signs are that the ongoing legal actions and community support for food rights is stimulating growing sales of good food, and costing the factory food oligopolies big time. Dean Foods, Kelloggs, McDonalds, and Coca Cola have all reported declining sales over the last year. (The diet soda business is in free fall The Wall Street Journal has reported.)
Yes, there is a long ways to go to defeat the food oligopolies. They have a huge amount of ammo in reserve. In a company-friendly interview with The Wall Street Journal this past weekend, the president of Monsanto, Brett Begemann, was quoted this way about the movement to force the labeling of genetically modified (GMO) products: (Begemann) talks about having a dialogue and coming to the table with those concerned about genetic modification. It remains to be seen if that strategy will quell a backlash based mostly on fear and emotion. He doesn’t discuss what else Monsanto will do, but the company is likely to spend big to fight the labeling movement. Monsanto poured in about $8 million to defeat a labeling initiative on the California ballot in 2012.
But trends are going in the right direction for those who value healthy food. Eventually, these oligopolies are going to decide that all this uprising isnt good for business. It may be too late by then. Downward sales trends for factory food products are going to be difficult to reverse.
Michael Schmidt was right when he said years ago….this is war!
A battle for accurate data, true science, transparency, political access, media attention, nutritional truth. Everywhere we turn, the establishment is defending its status quo market positions. Consumers are neglected and malnutrition reigns. A winning partnership with western medicine that loves long lines of sick people patiently waiting for care after being sickened by the pseudo food that they ingest.
America is being pulled apart. The ruptured seam being the connection between conscious consumers and their mission to connect with real food to nourish their families….and the farmers that are battling to connect and serve them. Big industry hates this connection because it exposes the truth.
AB 2730 is a great example out here in CA. A last minute legislative sneak attack as a favor to big cheese processors. A full on partnership between regulators and corporate interests has been exposed. It was going to pass quietly in the Sacramento night on a “convent calendar” ( with out a hearing ) before it was discovered and revealed to the rest of the dairy community. Now the social media is on the attack and it will die a death by democratic rule.
One little win brewing. But a win….we will see by Friday what happens. Meanwhile raw milk sales raging and sales of pasteurized in steep decline! This is what a market driven change of paradigm looks like my friends. I leave for a huge Canadian Raw Milk Road Show next week. Teach, teach, teach !!!
Now that this has passed a vacume has been created for CA to usher in a form of the Federal Milk Pool which generally treats all fairly and has a very transparent process to make changes. The Federal Milk Pool system also exempts Prodcuer-Distributors up to 3 million pounds of their own production per month. Last month OPDC sent a payment to the CA Milk Pool for $27,000 dollars….when OPDC used its ownmilk for its bottling!!! Where did that money go? It went to the Cheese processors. Not even organic certified..Just commodity cheese processors. This is one of the reasons that retail CA raw milk is so expensive…consumers not only pay for their organic raw milk, but they also pay an assessment to BIG CHEESE.
It makes me sick. But if I do not pay, I lose my Producer-Handler Permit and OPDC would be prevented from selling raw milk to 625 stores!! That is economic hostage taking! Under the Federal Order, Producers that Distribute their own milk are exempt and the federal courts have upheld this exemption. It is settled law except for CA. This is our next battle. Thankfully, all CA Producer-Distributors are in the same boat and will form a coalition to bring in the Federal Milk Pool system and address this issue for more than raw milk…but all branded PD vertically integrated operations.
I was wrong–Mark Baker isn’t running for sheriff. He’s running for governor in the upcoming election, as a write-in. That’s the word coming from a gathering in Ann Arbor tonight in support of Jenny Samuelson, where I spoke. Mark and Jill made the 3-hour trip to attend and show support. Mark had a room full of supporters as he launches a new career.
http://benswann.com/feds-declare-war-on-raw-milk-cheese-regulation-spoils-acclaimed-wisconsin-cheese/
When all businesses are no longer operating within US borders, for reasons/regulatory over-reach just like this, we will all be able to genuflect at the altar of the fda and thank them for their help and support. America is going broke because more and more of the tax money is going outside the contiguous States, as are the entire companies soon to follow.
The fda will get exactly what it’s asking for . . .