The first legal repercussion from the Michigan raw milk sting has me asking questions. Here is my latest: What should members of Family Farms Cooperative (FFC) do to help David Hochstetler, the Indiana farmer who supplies its raw milk, who is now threatened by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letter that could lead to some enforcement action unless he buckles under?
I broached that subject at the end of my previous posting, and Michael Richard picked up on it, with his vision of a summer march through Michigan, through Lansing to Hochstetler’s farm, which would raise money for farmer legal assistance and turn into a media event highlighting the problems of government repression of raw milk farmers.
I think that’s a great idea. My only concern is that it could be too little, too late.
I worry that Hochstetler could require more substantial assistance sooner than this summer. He needs to provide a formal answer to the FDA within 15 business days.
The FFC has fought valiantly in a number of ways to stand up for its rights to lease cows and consume their milk. Members arranged for a new dropoff point in the Ann Arbor area when Richard Hebron was deprived of the Morgan & York storage area. They wrote more than 200 letters to Michigan county prosecutors on behalf of Richard Hebron. They have bombarded the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) and local politicians with protest letters, and have just launched a new round of letters, now including media representatives among their targets. Members are obviously empathetic with David Hochstetler, the Amish farmer who supplies raw milk, per comments on my recent posts.
Since I’m not a member of FFC, I feel awkward telling members what to do. Suffice it to say, I believe FFC members need to try to anticipate potential actions by the FDA before this summer, and how they might counter possible actions. One way is to obtain legal input from an FDA expert sooner rather than later. There are definitely other actions, as Michael Richard suggests. Better to be prepared than only reacting to events as they unfold.
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