Re: feedback about Schmidt case in Ontario

[Guest guest]

Does that mean then, that the great state of Canada should be unwilling to pay for other med. services rendered due to the usage of tobacco, alcohol, and eating processed foods?? if they don't want to 'pay' their tax dollars for illnesses from milk, then they certainly should never pay for the real stupid things people put in their bodies. some logic there.

Barb

feedback about Schmidt case in Ontario

a few comments from the Toronto Star newspaper about the legality of raw milk ... many resenting raw milk consumers availing themselves of the medical system if they get sick. US citizens need to be told that here in Canada, Medicare is one of the chief doctrines of the state religion of Baal worship

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Voices: Raw milk sales

We asked you whether you think farmers should be allowed to sell raw milk to willing buyers. Here's what you had to say.

If a person thinks they should be allowed to drink raw milk then they should not be allowed to avail themselves of the health-care system for any health problems as a result of the raw milk. Jack , Tottenham, Ont.

In Italy and until coming to Canada at age 10, I was given raw cow's milk without ever having given any second thought to it. In fact, I recall my parents often saying that it was because of the wholesomeness of the raw milk that helped me to thrive during some very hard wartime years. I don't ever recall being ill from it. After coming to Canada, I remember my mother often complained about the poor quality of the pasteurized milk and how watery it was by comparison. It is my belief that if the milk is taken from healthy, well-cared for and organic pasture fed cows the risks are less than minimal. Would I drink raw milk now? Yes, only if I knew the source and if it was readily available. Bonifacio, Wasaga Beach, Ont.

The pasteurization of milk prevents many diseases that were once common but now almost gone. Allowing the sale of unpasteurized milk will cause a return of many of these diseases not only to those drinking it but passed along to the general population. Protecting the general population from these diseases is more important than the wishes of the minority to drink this unsafe product. Mellor, Durham

If I could I would only buy milk from farmers. Their milk tastes so much better and you can do so much more than with the homogenized milk. Eva-Marie Heide, Mississauga

In today's age of instant information, the consumer is better informed and should be free to make their own choice knowing the possible risk and supposed benefit to every purchase. The government meddles too much in the everyday life of people. Raw milk should only be available from the farm, to limit the liability to the seller and the purchaser. All milk sold in retail facilities should remain pasteurized and monitored. Thornton, Orangeville, Ont.

If this practice of consuming raw milk is so widespread, why are law enforcement officers spending so much money to make an example of just one harmless farmer and where then are all the victims of these deadly pathogens? Brown, Toronto

For the farmers and willing buyers in the raw milk trade, they should sign a waiver form to opt out of OHIP coverage for any illness caused by the consumption of raw milk. The buyers and the sellers can settle among themselves for any costs of treatment incurred. Lee, Whitby

What a waist of taxpayer's money to investigate Schmidt when cigarettes and alcohol are legal and available for sale everywhere. Polina Spektor, Toronto

I spent many of my early years growing up on a farm in Alberta. The majority of those years we drank milk from our cows, and made our own butter and enjoyed some of the best whipped cream you could ask for. No one in our family ever became sick. Sometimes simple is better. Jordan, North Vancouver

Here is a good way to cut government spending: stop needlessly interfering with people's lives. The government logic makes no sense – nobody is forcing anyone to drink raw milk; they are choosing to drink it themselves. We let people smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and eat Twinkies. Vick Sidhu, Ottawa

Yes, farmers should be able to sell raw milk to directly willing buyers as long as the farmer is willing to let the buyer see and experience his/her operation, how the cows are treated and fed. It is also important for the farmer to test the milk regularly. The buyer can then make a conscious and informed decision as to whether he/she can trust the milk is clean and safe. Ralf Wieser, Unionville, Ont.

People who study nutrition know raw milk is better for you. People should be allowed their choice. Police time is being wasted having so many officers going after a farmer and his cows when there are so many really dangerous felons out there and the police are saying they don't have enough manpower to deal with the problem. Lynn Westaway, Stouffville, Ont.

Totally stupid idea. The dangers of consuming raw milk far outweigh any potential benefit. Unpasteurized milk can carry potentially deadly bacteria including E. coli, the same bacteria that killed 7 people in ton. It is utterly foolish and irresponsible to dismiss these dangers. If people want to consume "friendly" bacteria, just eat plain ordinary yogurt, which is rich in healthy bacterial cultures. Mente, Toronto

We have a supply management system that works extremely well for both consumers and farmers, supplying consumers with safe, reliable, and nutritious dairy products. All dairy farms in Canada have high standards of sanitation and are rigorously inspected. The milk is tested after every pickup (every 2 days) on farm and undergoes further testing at the processing plant. One of the tests performed checks for pathogens whereas raw milk farm sales are purely buyer beware. Merv Misch, Dobbinton, Ont.

We can buy cigarettes, we can purchase alcohol, we can purchase sodium, sugar and trans-fat laden foods; but we cannot purchase unpasteurized milk. The hypocritical nanny state once again dictates how citizens of sound judgement may lead our lives and conduct commerce. Sam Villa, Toronto

When I was a kid (50 years ago), I visited a family of second cousins living on a farm in Cornwall. There were seventeen children and two parents. I was offered a glass of milk from the refrigerator and told it was from their own cows. Although at first hesitant to drink this (having only drunk milk poured from a Borden's milk bottle), I did not want to offend my hosts and to this day, have never tasted richer milk. Those seventeen children all grew up to live productive lives and are not the worse for drinking the milk. It never ceases to amaze me how hypocritical governments are. On the one hand allowing tobacco companies to load their product with toxic compounds and deriving considerable revenue from the taxes imposed, but dinging farmers for selling a product that retains scientifically proven medical properties destroyed through pasteurization. Wells, Scarborough

The benefits of raw milk like vitamins A and D are far outnumbered by the diseases they are linked to like tuberculosis, salmonella and E.coli and even though processed food and drinks have a bad rap and rightly so, milk stands out as an exception. Max Desouza, Toronto

Farmers should be able to sell raw milk to willing buyers. Rose Mak, Baden, Ont.

My mother's two-year-old brother died of meningitis caused by drinking raw milk. There is a reason why raw milk is not considered safe. So no sale at all, unless customers are willing to waive the right to sue if they or someone they know catches something caused by raw milk. Lachlan Mclennan, Toronto

Raw milk is the best for you and the farmer should be allowed to sell it to anyone that wants it. I drank it most of my life and I would still like to be able to buy it again. Fred Coates, London, Ont.

I believe it is a matter of choice. Provided that the milk has been expressed from healthy cows in a hygienic facility and labelled as raw. Gerard Bisaillon, Etobicoke

Canadians unfortunately don't know how real milk tastes. Real milk tastes great. Nothing like the concoction they are selling in stores. I was raised on raw milk and I miss it a lot. Boil it for 10 minutes, cool it and store in the fridge, no pasteurization needed. Olivia Zlatova, Toronto

It really infuriates me that the government restricts my free choice to obtain and drink raw goat milk. The benefits far outweigh any risks to being exposed to E. coli, especially since this bacteria is extremely rarely found in the milk of goats that are pastured naturally and clean milking hygiene is practiced. Pasteurization kills all bacteria in the milk, which means that all the good, health-promoting bacteria and enzymes are also killed. It becomes another 'dead' food. Helga Kostiak, Port Bolster, Ont.

I once bought raw milk from a farm. It was so thick and delicious. Later authorities threatened that farmer with fines. I think it's none of the business of government to decide that farmers should not sell raw milk. After boiling raw milk is very safe to drink. Rajesh Sharma, Cambridge, Ont.

Raw milk is available for sale in several countries around the world, including England, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. If raw milk were really as "lethal" as they claim, then why is it available in other countries? When cows are raised in a healthy environment, it is possible to produce raw milk which is safe to consume. Pam Killeen, London, Ont.

Of course farmers should be allowed to sell raw milk. Last time I checked it was not illegal to sell cigarettes, booze, aspartame, pesticides, beef from feedlots, hormone-pumped chickens, genetically modified foods and any other substantially lethal or otherwise seriously harmful substance. We are talking about milk. It is a silly law that makes no sense. Nora Heuer, Gravenhurst, Ont.

Let him sell his milk. What right is more basic than allowing people to choose the food they eat? This is such an important right we cannot give it up. It is a slippery slope followed by regulating vitamin and herb consumption, forced vaccinations, you name it. What we consume is an inalienable right that no government should have the right to take from us in any country. Svendsen, Toronto

I believe the government's role is to highlight any risks, but not to regulate behaviour. If people want to drink unpasteurized milk, so be it. By the way, I much prefer unpasteurized cheese to pasteurized cheese - it tastes a lot better. Learn, Toronto

If these people purchase raw milk despite all of the documented health consequences perhaps they should have to pay for their own health-care costs when things go wrong. Here we have parents feeding their children a product that in past times, before pasteurization, led to infant mortality. With all the proof from food scientists and medical health officers, it is much safer. Murray Opsteen, Waterdown, Ont.

This question should really read: "Should buyers be forced to purchase and consume only pasteurized milk which is of questionable nutritional value and can be dangerous for the health of many?" Farmers who have clean operations and healthy cows definitely ought to be able to offer consumers real milk. The government has no right to force this choice on me. Marilyn Gang, Toronto

Let him sell unpasteurized milk. And the way he was charged is proof that we have a bunch of bandits running law enforcement on all levels. Tahir Zaman, Mississauga

I saw that if the consumers are informed, then let them get whatever milk they want. I'm disgusted that my tax dollars are spent paying for police to shut down this kind of operation, when there are more serious things they could be spending their time on. Carolee Pasechnik, Cannington, Ont.

We live in an over-legislated country with relatively little freedom. With rules, regulations, fees and taxes in almost every facet of life. Part of the reason for this is due to the abundance of social programs that pay for services such as healthcare -- in order to keep expenses in check, raw milk sales must be regulated. Wilfred Lee, Toronto

I have no problem with people drinking raw milk, as long as they pay out of their own pocket the cost of treating the related illnesses. Raw milk is banned because it causes twice as many cases of food related illness as pasteurized milk. In a socialist society we restrict peoples rights to certain activities because we all pay for the consequences. That is why we have seatbelt and motorcycle helmet laws. Symons, Toronto

Give us freedom of choice. What happened to Schmidt is a disgrace. Our government wants to control our food so that they can control the tax. I will join his fight. Zaza, Toronto