Eggs and raw milk aren't a good mix

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Michael Schmidt's lower court victory that apparently makes raw milk co-ops legal isn't transferable to the egg industry, says Harry Pelissero, general manager of Egg Farmers of Ontario.

So if egg seller Shawn Carmichael thinks he can distribute eggs to consumers who own shares in hens he keeps "he is wrong," Pelissero told Better Farming.

Carmichael's farm near Shanley, in eastern Ontario, was raided by Egg Farmers officials in April, 2006. Eventually he was forced to quit selling eggs in 2008. Pelissero says that, when Carmichael was convicted of selling eggs illegally (he didn't have quota for his flock), he agreed to abide by all provincial regulations. On top of that, Pelissero asserts, small hen flocks are tied to the property of their owner.

Carmichael received widespread support from the Ontario Landowners Association, which also supported Michael Schmidt in his efforts to sell raw milk. There were widespread media reports that Carmichael was at the courthouse in Newmarket when Schmidt was found not guilty of selling raw milk last month. BF