by SUSAN MANN
Durham-area farmer Michael Schmidt says he hasn’t eaten solid food yet despite ending his hunger strike after meeting with Premier Dalton McGuinty at Queen’s Park Friday morning.
That’s because he has to ease his body back gradually. “I’m just on broth, just liquids to get my body back into motion,” he says, noting it’ll be another five to seven days before he can start eating solid foods.
Schmidt lost 50 pounds since beginning his hunger strike Sept. 29 to protest his recent conviction on charges related to selling and distributing unpasteurized milk. Ontario Court of Justice Peter Tetley handed down his verdict Sept. 28 convicting Schmidt of charges that Justice of the Peace Paul Kowarsky acquitted him of in 2010.
Schmidt plans to appeal Tetley’s decision. He said in an earlier interview he'll continue running his cow share operation.
Schmidt says he asked for a meeting with Premier McGuinty and if he got that he would end the strike. “I was asking for a dialogue on how we get out of this stalemate.” Schmidt says he wasn’t requesting that the Premier change the law prohibiting raw milk sales and distribution or “stop prosecuting me.”
Schmidt says he was boarding a plane to return to Ontario after attending a rally in Vancouver when he got a call from McGuinty’s chief of staff asking if he could come to Queens Park for a meeting.
During the 20-minute meeting, Schmidt says the Premier suggested working with the individual MPPs “in regards to the review of the current laws and policies.” Schmidt says he’ll be trying to make presentations to the caucuses of the three provincial political parties.
Schmidt says after it was clear mentally that he was stopping the hunger strike “that was when my body really started to suffer. When you’re still focused and determined to go all the way, it’s easy because you’re focused. Once it’s over its kind of a collapse of your entire system.”
But it’s okay, he says. “I think I’m slowly turning the corner here.”
Did he miss food? No, he says. “Once I set my mind to something then nothing is tempting me.” BF
Comments
I am kindly surprised that this man has had a meeting with Dolittl.I hope he gets some success
To bad our farmleaders would try the same tactic
Our farm leaders are "elected". Micheal Shmidt was not.
Take a look at a certain past
Signed comment removed by editor because no phone number was provided to confirm identity.
It's sad that a farmer would have to starve himself for almost 37 days in order to get the attention of our Ontario Premier. He is a courageous man who stands up for what he believes in. Glad to hear he's slowly strengthening his body again. He'll need the strength for Nov. 25 (Ontario sentence hearing) and Dec. 5 (BC court case).
Now that he has sacrificed so much to start the conversation at Queen's Park about raw milk and food freedom, let's see if the powers-that-be will really come to understand the truth about producing safe raw milk in this province.
Let's see if the government still thinks it's their job to tell us what to eat and drink.
If no one has gotten sick from drinking raw milk from Schmidt's farm in 17 years, then why not allow the legal distribution and sale of raw milk that is carefully produced using traditional, biodynamic methods? It should be regulated and certified for safety, and not offered to the public. Private contracts between the farmer and consumer should be upheld.
Ordinary people need to keep speaking up and letting their MPPs, MPs and McGuinty know that they've had enough of this nonsense.
One day Canada will enter the 21st century and we'll eventually have access to fresh, raw milk like in other G8 countries.
Until then, Schmidt and the rest of us who want food freedom will have to keep fighting the good fight.
This is more than one man's fight to supply an illegal product. This is about our decision to consume food of our choosing. Monsanto has expressed a desire for "seed to plate" control of the food system, and monopoly milk marketing boards are largely responsible for the shenanigans of public health authorities.
It is very important to note that no one has ever been sickened by Michael Schmidt's milk, and no pathogens have ever been found in his milk. Cars kill people, but persecuting Michael Schmidt is like confiscating a parked car, because it "might" cause an injury on death at some point.
According to an analysis of US Centre for Disease Control data conducted by Dr. Ted Beals, you are 1,000 times more likely to be injured in a traffic accident while going to pick up your raw milk than you are to be sickened by that milk. And yet, cars remain legal!
When was the last time we saw a farmer go on a hunger strike ? It is amazing in this day and age that we can't see past big business/big government to take make progressive steps to make our food more local based. In reality everything is now black market. Eggs and meat chickens are sold by dozens of small farms in Ontario. Most dairy farmers drink their own unpasturized milk,farmers sell their own produce to friends and family and it is getting bigger.
In the end the government (our OWN elected officials) will not/cannot stop what is happening local food grown by local people. People often forget that if their had never been a market for raw milk in the first place and IF Michael Shmidts product had been unhealthy or of poor quality he would never have had the successful business he enjoys today.......kind of like trying to outlaw church suppers because of the apparent chance of getting sick from eating at one....I don't ever recall someone dying from eating meal at a church supper in Ontario as of late....I do recall however people dying from eating processed meats in Ontario......remember?
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