Activists Push Ontario To Legalize Raw Milk
TORONTO - Advocates of raw, unpasteurized milk were again pleading their case at the Ontario legislature Wednesday but the province said it won't budge on its position that it's simply not safe for consumption.Lovers of so-called "farm-fresh milk" said they would continue to enjoy it anyway and warned that the province could find itself dealing with a health crisis if a booming underground economy isn't regulated.
Farmer Michael Schmidt, who provides raw milk to 150 families and has been doing so for 12 years, visited the legislature to mark the one-year anniversary of an armed police raid on his property for allegedly operating a milk plant without a licence.
Schmidt questioned why the government went so over the top with its "shock-and-awe" raid and why it can't let people decide for themselves whether to drink raw milk.
"There are different regulations from around the world where the consumption of farm-fresh milk is absolutely safe and does not cause a health concern and a burden to the health system," he said.
"After 69 years we are trying to attempt to convince (the government) that people can make informed choices, that we have the technology and knowledge to produce a safe product."