Local Food Sovereignty Rights on Trial Before Maine Supreme Court

Raw milk advocates and those concerned about the survival of small farms in Maine rallied Tuesday in Portland to show their support for farmer Dan Brown before his State Supreme Court hearing. This case is much more than a question of whether farmer Brown has the right to sell raw milk from his small dairy farm to people in his local community. It represents the nationwide effort to eliminate local independent food producers from the marketplace. It’s not just the sale of raw milk that is under attack. It is about the authority of a local community to decide how to manage the sale of locally produced food. It is about food sovereignty. Do people have the right to independently produce food using methods of their own choosing and to sell that food to people who want their food grown or prepared according to those standards despite what state or national bureaucrats think is best?

Maine Department of Agriculture Actions Prove Safety of Raw Milk is NOT the Issue in Attacking Raw Milk Farmers

Raw milk safety is NOT the issue. It's all about government control. If safety were truly the issue, then why is the Maine Department of Agriculture allowing one farm to sell raw milk to the public for a simple $25.00 license, while denying a similar small farm who was following a local ordinance that did not require a license? Isn't time the anti-raw milk antagonists stop hiding behind the raw milk "safety" issue? The raw milk issue is not a safety issue. It is about government control. As the recent jury who acquitted Wisconsin farmer Vernon Hershberger from being guilty of providing milk to private club members without a state-approved license shows, the public is getting fed up with the government stance over licensing, and their treating peaceful farmers like illegal drug criminals. It is time for a Food Freedom Revolution!

Judge Rules Against Maine Food Sovereignty Ordinance in First Test Case

Maine’s food sovereignty movement took a hit when a state judge ruled earlier this week that farmer Dan Brown must have a license to sell raw milk, despite his town’s ordinance exempting local farmers from state food regulations. The State of Maine has spent considerable time prosecuting a farmer with only 2 cows for over 2 years for selling raw milk without a license, even though nobody ever complained or suffered from his milk. This ruling puts Farmer Dan out of business.

Local Food Sovereignty Laws in Maine Come to a Test with Farmer Brown

Health Impact News Editor Comments: Back in the summer of 2011 we covered the story of how local towns in Maine were passing “Food Sovereignty” laws to allow sale of locally produced food without interference of regulators. Read the story here.

Then on November 9, Dan Brown, a family farmer in Blue Hill, Maine, was served […]