Michael Schmidt:

December 27, 2009
                 In 1995 I offered the Milkmarketing board, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Health our farm as a research farm to explore together the effects of raw milk versus pasteurized milk. Our first study in 1995 to 2006 was to produce milk safe for human consumption. It included years of baseline testing by an independent researcher for pathogens and also the absence of reported illnesses linked to our raw milk for 20 years.
                 November 21 2009 was the 3rd anniversary of the armed raid on Glencolton Farms to shut down a successful legitimate local food operation, which provided amongst many other products fresh raw milk to its members. Canada and Ontario have a special significance in the world wide battle for food rights because of the total prohibition to sell or distribute milk which is not pasteurized. It is crucial to take notice that there is no ban to consume raw milk. The aggressive stand of Government agencies infringes on the basic right of individuals to make an informed decision for them selves and their children [on food choices].

2011 09 28
              Schmidt was informed Wednesday afternoon that he'd been convicted of 15 provincial offences relating to the sale of unpasteurized milk. He could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, including $5,000 for each day he continues to distribute his milk.
              Schmidt, owner of Glencolton Farms near Durham, Ont., started his hunger strike Thursday night. He’s consuming just one glass of his own cows' milk per day to start a public debate on food regulation.
              "We need to sit down and think about what is the role of government in our life," said Schmidt. "The government allows plenty of other things that are detrimental to our health."
              He also noted that many foods have health risks, citing the 2008 listeria outbreak that killed 20 people who had consumed tainted meat.
              Though it is an offense to sell raw milk, farming families can legally drink their own cows' milk and make cheese. Schmidt gave away his milk through a "cow-share" program where people who invested in the farm would receive milk.
              In January 2010, a justice of the peace deemed the cow-share program an attempt to operate within the spirit of the law, noting that only consumers aware of potential risks were involved. On Wednesday, the province won an appeal of the case.
              Proponents of raw milk argue that pasteurization destroys beneficial enzymes, but health authorities say the benefits of heat-treating milk outweigh the risks of drinking it raw.
              Schmidt says that in his 17 years of dairy farming, no one has gotten sick from his milk. He argues that large-scale dairy operations are more risky as milk from a single infected cow can taint hundreds of litres.
              "I’m starting to exhaust my legal options," says Schmidt, who has been fighting for "food freedom" for four years.
              Schmidt went on a similar hunger strike after his farm was raided for processing milk without a licence in November 2006. Schmidt says he lost 50 pounds in four weeks, before his lawyer convinced him he needed more energy for his legal battles.
              "It’s always hard on the family, but it is harder with threats of armed raids," said Schmidt.