[wisconsin_cur]

A guy not far from here was closed down by the USDA because a person who does not buy from him and has never been on his farm heard from a friend that he was selling raw milk... at the moment I cannot recall if it was part of a cow share program or not...

anyway he got a cease and desist and ended up getting back on the industrial food wagon as far as his milk. We bought some pastured chicken from him before we were producing our own. He was unsure as to what to do with his dairy in the future.

busisness week

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')or nearly a year-and-a-half, everything went as planned. The milk arrived on schedule and the health of Gelhaus' children improved dramatically. But on Mar. 6 of this year, everything changed. At about 1:15 in the afternoon, Gary Oaks arrived at a Cincinnati parking lot for what he thought would be a routine delivery, distributing milk to his shareholders. He got out of his truck, opened the trailer, and began handing out bottles of milk to a few of the dozen or so shareholders present.

Gelhaus wasn't there, but another shareholder who was, Joanne Miller, of Morrow, Ohio, remembers vividly what happened next. "I was placing empty bottles in carriers when I noticed a Cincinnati police cruiser moving through the parking lot slowly toward the trailer. Another cruiser followed. Officers moved toward the cow-share owners and told them not to pick up the milk that had already been set out, and actually moved in to prevent members from picking up the milk."

Out of several unmarked cars emerged men in plain clothes who "gathered near the tailgate of the trailer," Miller says. Only one would identify himself, an agent of the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture (ODA), she says.

[Pops]

So a guy who sold raw milk without following the rules and was told to quit constitutes Food Seizure?

Gotta do better...

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'S')o a guy who sold raw milk without following the rules and was told to quit constitutes Food Seizure?
Gotta do better...

[Pops]

That could be, Cur, but also it could be a convienient hook to hang the They Are Out To Get Us hat on as it seems the folks who promoted this story (which I linked to) are won't to do.

But what I can't figure out is why anyone would post in such a conspicuous place as this if they were worried about a Jack Boot on their teat.

We need to be real.
Hysterics are probably not helpful.

[jupiters_release]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'I') guess my question is:
How many folks who have responded or become agitated at the topic of this thread have much food or ability to produce food which might be seized?
I'm going to guess 1%.

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'T')hat could be, Cur, but also it could be a convienient hook to hang the They Are Out To Get Us hat on as it seems the folks who promoted this story (which I linked to) are won't to do.

[HeckuvaJob]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'A')gain, I'd ask who on this board has experienced or can corroborate any such actions at their local co-op, farmers market or farmstand? I'm going to bet zero this time even though we have thousands of Members.

[Pops]

From http://www.mannastorehouse.com/policy.html :
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')c. Manna Storehouse is not licensed or approved by any federal, state or local agency and it does not have any plans to do so in the future.

[jupiters_release]

Pops,

Asking for just laws is like asking for transparency and accountability in the market, never been and never will. Forget China, most food sold and consumed in the states is nutritionless junk with varying degrees of toxicity. There's no ground to defend standards that are in themselves symptoms of a sick and insane society. One doesn't have to agree with the law in order to follow it either, don't be afraid to speak your mind, such egocentric self-censorship is more worrying than actually believing the USDA operates in the interest of the public's health.

[Pops]

You miss my point, JR.

The company not only ignored the rules in place but put the responsibility for the safety of the food they sold on the purchaser.

Tell me that is not a move backwards in food safety, wholesomeness and accountability.

Ask the people who sold the stuff on this list and have paid the price.


If you sell food you are accountable.

[DomusAlbion]

What would the cost have been to these people to simply learn the rules, fill out some papers and pay a few licensing fees. Very little I would imagine. Now they are paying dearly.

I call this behavior stupid.

[Dreamtwister]

And none of this explains why the Gestapo siezed the family's personal food stores.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dreamtwister', 'A')nd none of this explains why the Gestapo siezed the family's personal food stores.

[HeckuvaJob]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'T')he company not only ignored the rules in place but put the responsibility for the safety of the food they sold on the purchaser. Tell me that is not a move backwards in food safety, wholesomeness and accountability.

Ask the people who sold the stuff on this list and have paid the price.

[eXpat]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HeckuvaJob', '
')I would trust my rule-breaking neighbor more than a fully compliant corporation.

[PenultimateManStanding]

I sympathize with Pops' position that we have to abide by the laws - for now. But the laws of the land seems to be crumbling. It's a very tricky and confusing situation. I think there is a strong correlation between the heavy-handed enforcements we are seeing and the precariousness of authority in general. This is bound to get much worse next year.

[Ludi]

As far as I know it is quite legal to GIVE AWAY raw milk, etc, to your friends, family, and neighbors. I see no need to get involved in the legal mess of SELLING these products if you don't want to follow the rules. If you don't want to follow the rules for selling,* DON'T SELL.

It's not all that difficult.

*edited to add "or you don't want to fight to change them"

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HeckuvaJob', 'S')o, to illustrate how important following the rules are and how effective the current system is at keeping us safe, you post a link to several dozen product recalls?

[Ludi]

Of course the laws are structured to favor large business. That's not new information, and I'm not surprised you're upset about them, so am I. But, they are hard to fight. Have you had any success fighting them?

One of my heroes is Vandana Shiva.

http://www.navdanya.org/

You must think I've suddenly gotten really stupid/ignorant overnight, Shanny. I've only been posting about food issues here on the board for years.

This makes me sad.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', ' ')If you don't want to follow the rules for selling, DON'T SELL.