Raw Milk Freedom Riders - The Revolution Will Not Be Pasteurized (Video)
Mommies Openly Defy Food Police by Serving up a Raw Milk and Cookies Protest
by Kimberly Hartke
Mothers and their children staged a unique protest at the FDA on November 1, 2011. Calling themselves the Raw Milk Freedom Riders, the moms and supporters deliberately broke federal law by crossing state lines with raw milk. The mothers met a farmer in Pennsylvania, picked up milk then drove into Maryland. The convoy of 30 cars and vans then joined awaiting protesters at the headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a 'milk and cookies' party. The peaceful protest was in response to numerous armed raids of family farms and food coops around the U.S. spearheaded by the government agency.
Over 150 people from states as far away as Minnesota, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts showed up to support the rally. Michael Schmidt of Glencolton Farms in Ontario Canada, currently on a month long hunger strike for responsible food freedom, was a special guest speaker at the event.
The ban on interstate transportation of raw milk, implemented by the federal agency in 1987 is causing hardship on farmers and consumers as farm fresh foods grow in popularity. The patchwork of state laws which either allow or deny sales of unprocessed milk, often result in consumers seeking product from across a state line. The FDA has stepped up federal enforcement efforts, and it is leaning heavily on state agencies to crack down on the raw milk dairy farms.
Farmageddon--The Unseen War on American Family Farms is a new full length documentary film by Kristin Canty, a mother in Massachusetts, whose son was healed of severe allergies by raw milk. She had trouble sleeping at night once she learned of the raids on small farms. She knew the government was attempting to deny people access to this life-giving natural food. Last year, even within her own state borders, agricultural officials banned carpooling and milk delivery services, and this occurred in Massachusetts, a state where raw milk is legal to sell at the farm gate. She attended the rally to film the protest and to share her story.
"My son was allergic to the world. Raw milk helped him when FDA approved drugs couldn't. We must make raw dairy available to families who want and need it," she exclaimed to the crowd of 200 who gathered for the rally.
One of the other speakers at the event, was a raw milk producer from California. Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures dairy explained that in California, over 400 stores carry his fresh, unprocessed milk.
Pete Kennedy, President of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund told the crowd, "How do you know when we've got a bad law? When thousands of otherwise law abiding citizens are breaking it on a weekly basis." The legal defense non-profit currently is suing the FDA over the transportation ban. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund was founded to protect the right to unregulated direct trade between farmer and consumer. The group promotes the concept of herd share agreements and legal private farm buying clubs, both of which are a means for consumers to opt out of the government sanctioned food supply.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) sent his staffer, Carolyn Moffa, to the rally, to announce that he is introducing a companion bill in the U.S. Senate, to his father, Congressman Ron Paul's bill, HR 1830, which would end the interstate ban on raw milk for human consumption. Organic farmer and Congresswoman from Maine, Chellie Pingree (D-ME) is a co-sponsor of the bill. A presidential candidate, Ron Paul (R-TX) is campaigning for raw milk consumer freedom of choice during his bid for the White House.
Rally organizers, Liz Reitzig and Karine Bouis-Towe of the Farm Food Freedom Coalition, plan to pursue a dialogue with FDA officials regarding improving consumer access to safe raw milk. "Armed raids on our farmers and farm buying clubs must stop! If we are not free to eat the foods of our choice, we are not free," Liz declared to the approval of the raw milk freedom riders.
