FDA Persecutes Raw Milk Dairies: Raids Amish Farm

Call to Action—or Lose the Right to Choose What You Eat

by Heidi Stevenson

23 April 2010

The FDA is using strong arm tactics on family farms that do their best to produce genuinely healthy milk for customers who care about their own family’s health. They have raided an Amish dairy farm with the accusation, “We have credible evidence that you are involved in interstate commerce.” There’s no accusation that the raw milk they produce is unsafe. They couldn’t find a legitimate charge, so they’ve used a trumped up one.

The FDA is ignoring its remit to guard the health of Americans. They’re raiding and prosecuting on the basis of trade law. They’re going after family farms. Have no doubt about the purpose: The FDA is protecting enormous Agribusiness corporations. They fear these small farmers, because people are waking to the fact that their health relies on access to real food raised in healthy conditions.

Pennsylvania Amish farmer Dan Allgyer has been under pressure from the FDA before. His farm was raided on 4 February—not officially, though agents trespassed, harrassed him, and followed a man who’d been visiting the farm. Now, they’re making it official.

At 4:30 in the morning of 20 April, Algyer was heading out to milk his cows. He noted that something was going on, that there was too much traffic. Three cars pulled onto his neighbor’s private property, and then at about 5:00, they proceeded to drive down the lane of his own farm. He tells what then 

happened:

I stood back in the dark barn to see what they were going to do. They drove past my two Private Property signs, up to where my coolers were, with their headlights shining right on them. They all got out of their vehicles—five men all together—with big bright flashlights they were shining all around. My wife and family were still asleep. When they couldn’t find anybody, they prepared to knock on the door of my darkened house.

Just before they got to the house I stepped out of the barn and hollered at them, then they came up to me and introduced themselves. Two were from the FDA, agent Joshua C. Schafer who had been there in February and another. They showed me identification, but I was too flustered to ask for their cards. I remember being told that two were deputy U.S. Marshals and one a state trooper. They started asking me questions right away. They handed me a paper and I didn’t realize what it was.

Agent Joshua C. Schafer told me they were there to do a “routine inspection.” At 5:00 in the morning, I wondered to myself? “Do you have a warrant?” I asked, and one of them, a marshal or the state policeman, said, “You’ve got in your hand buddy.” I asked, “What is the warrant about?” Schafer responded, “We have credible evidence that you are involved in interstate commerce.”

Article continues here, including how to take action.