Facebook Protestors Shut Down Family Farm Raid

On Oct. 2, 2015 government officials raided Michael Schmidt’s farm. Schmidts is a raw milk activist for over 30 years and has been battling with the Canadian government for the last decade. His work around so far is instead of selling milk, he sells his customers shares in his cows. He has obviously dealt with many past legal battles.

Facebook blew up with responses when a raw milk activist named Liz Reitzig posted up an SOS call. She posted that there was a raid going on and for any supporters to grab video equipment and rush to Glencolton Farms, where the confrontation was taking place.

Agents from the Ministry of Natural Resources Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Regulatory Compliance Unit of Ontario, Ministry of Finance, dairy inspectors and the armed policemen were met and outnumbered by the farm’s supporters. Even with the threat of being arrested they stood their ground. (Watch Video Below)

With upwards of 50 people willing to be arrested the authorities decided to unload the confiscated items from their trucks and leave.

At 3:37 p.m. Schmidt posted on his Facebook: “We won. They are leaving and all the confiscated stuff stays.”

In Ontario, Canada raw milk became illegal in 1938. But Schmidt, who grew up in post-war Germany, has a distrust toward authority and strong personal beliefs on the health benefits of raw milk. He has been raided, taken to court, rallied and went on hunger strike (inspired by Gandhi), and he is not giving up, even refusing to pay thousands in fines because he maintains he has done nothing wrong.

Schmidt is just one person against Canada’s $12-billion dairy industry, and it is people like him that can make a change if supported by fellow citizens. Great job!