Another small farmer in New Hampshire has been warned by the Department of Health and Human Services that they better stop selling raw milk products, lest they face $500 fines per day. This is the second time just this month that such a letter has been received by a small farmer, just trying to make a living.
Jill Fudala, the owner of the Little Red Hen Farm, received one on August 4th. I wrote about that here, and it also received coverage in the Boston Globe, The Concord Monitor, the Union Leader, WMUR, and it made the AP Wire rounds – landing in Yahoo! News and US News.
This time, a small farmer has been cited for producing raw milk fudge. As in the previous case, the product is labelled as being made with raw milk, and is sold locally only, to consumers that are fully informed. For their privacy, I’ve blocked out their name and address.
Most people, especially here in the Live Free or Die state, don’t care what small farmers make or sell, raw milk included. Their customers, who are fully aware of what they’re buying, like buying their food from a local farm as opposed to the mass produced stuff on grocery store shelves. You get to meet the farmer, see their animals, and you know what you’re getting and how it was raised. It’s a great system – in fact it’s so great it’s literally how the whole world worked until not that long ago. Not all ‘improvements’ improve things, especially when the government gets involved.
As ‘Free People’ in a ‘Free Society’ the Government has no place telling you that you can’t buy and consume raw milk as a willing consumer. Are there risks? Yes. There are risks to consuming anything. Every year we hear news stories about listeria outbreaks, E. Coli outbreaks, salmonella, and more. And those are from licensed, approved, and inspected facilities. How often do you hear a news story about your neighbor getting sick from the milk they produce in their backyard?
I’m not going to preach to you about the better health benefits of raw milk, or the evils of mass produced animal products. That’s not my place. You are free to learn, or not, about any of that and make your own informed decision.
Live Free or Die needs to be treated as more than a motto, again.
