December
3, 2006
David Zimmer, M.P.P.
Constituency Office
5801 Yonge St., Unit 3
Willowdale, On
M2M 3TD
Dear Mr. Zimmer,
I
have been serving raw milk from Michael Schmidt’s farm, to my family
and children for seven years. We have had no incidence of illness
related to drinking raw milk. Both children are robust and healthy.
They are currently aged 12 and 14 and are active inside and outside
of school, and have won leadership and academic awards as well.
As
a family we firmly support the legalized sale of raw milk. As
your constituents we ask that you support the resolution being introduced
in the provincial legislature December 7th by Bill Murdoch,
MPP for Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound, calling for a new study of the issue
of legalizing the sale of raw milk.
In
this letter I would like to address three additional points regarding
the legalization of the sale of raw milk. They are:
- Dalton MGuinty’s
comments regarding mass distribution of milk.
- Safety with respect
to raw milk.
- Care of livestock.
Firstly,
Dalton McGuinty has stated in the media that pasteurization has worked
for decades and experts continue to say it's the best system out there
for mass distribution of milk. We are NOT requesting that raw milk be
part of the mass distribution of milk, nor that raw milk replace pasteurized
milk. Farmers around the world have been drinking raw milk for
more decades than pasteurization has been around, and continue to do
so. I was first offered raw milk on a farm than provides milk
for pasteurization and the farmer held a milk quota. Interestingly
his family all drank raw milk! My husband grew up near a farmer
that provided raw milk for the neighbours that lived around him for
decades! Our request is that we, as consumers, have a choice to
consume either pasteurized milk or raw milk. Dalton McGuinty needs
to address the issue directly and not obfuscate the issues at hand.
Secondly,
according to statistics recorded in the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, published by the Center of Disease Control, FDA in the
United States), food borne illnesses associated with both raw milk and
pasteurized milk combined is substantially lower than food borne illnesses
associated with salads, fruits and raw vegetables. The risk of
illness from drinking raw milk is very low. All raw food carries
a risk if not handled properly, so regulations (not illegalization)
needs to be in place...Should we make lettuce illegal? If raw
milk is such a health risk as our so-called health experts purport,
we should neither be allowed to purchase raw meat, raw vegetables or
raw eggs. Concerning the heralded life threatening health risk
raw milk carries why does government legally allow farmers and their
families to drink this supposedly deadly milk for generations upon generations?
Either the risk of mortality is relatively low (less than other raw
foods, tobacco, alcohol, driving a car) or as Michael Schmidt so poignantly
stated that government and health officials must think that farmers
and their families are a breed that can die out. The
current situation is unjust and hypocritical. It is time for the
current legislation to be revisited and changed.
Finally, I would like to mention the
care of the livestock by farmers such as Michael Schmidt, in comparison
to cows bred for regular mass milk production and pasteurization.
In confinement dairy systems cows never leave the stalls and have a
life span that averages 42 months. On the other hand, cows on
pasture, like Farmer Schmidt's cows consume food that cows are designed
to eat (i.e. grass NOT grains etc), are healthy (require no antibiotics)
and have a life span of 12-15 years. The care Michael Schmidt’s
cows receive in comparison to other dairy farms has so impressed and
inspired my 12 year old daughter that she cannot conceive how a government
would have the audacity and ignorance to raid such a man’s farm.
She is deeply disturbed by the current trend in farming practices and
especially how livestock are treated. We need to consider the
ethics we are exemplifying to our young generation regarding our farming
practices in society today and in our government.
I
urge you to support the resolution being introduced in the provincial
legislature December 7th by Bill Murdoch, MPP for Grey-Bruce-Owen
Sound, calling for a new study of the issue of legalizing the sale of
raw milk.
Sincerely,
Shirley Ann Wood
p.s.
You met my son last year.
He approached you when his school, Claude Watson was performing at the
legislature. He was asking for support for his plant a tree program.
He was very impressed with your support of the environment and your
younger constituents. He hopes you support us in this cause as
well.
