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:
1. Dalton MGuinty’s comments regarding mass distribution of milk.
2. Safety with respect to raw milk.
3. 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
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