From the Department of Ya Can't Make This Stuff Up

[PBzeer]

Wisconsin Judge Rules No Right to Own a Cow or Drink Its Milk | Food Freedom

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

Wisconsin Judge Rules No Right to Own a Cow or Drink Its Milk | Food Freedom

More to this than meets the eye. Selling raw milk is an issue here too.

The judge seems to have been influenced by an outbreak of 35 illnesses from campylobacter attributed by Wisconsin authorities to the Zinnikers in 2009. Based on that outbreak, he said, “It is clear…that there is a rational basis for the legislature’s prohibition against the sale and/or distribution of unpasteurized milk” because it “can result…in serious illness.”

This is from a "friendly source."

Wisconsin Judge Rules Against Raw Milk Farmers | Health Impact News

[jackdale]

Some more

Dec. 16--ELKHORN -- Walworth County officials Monday reached an agreement with the owners of a rural Elkhorn farm shut down after more than 30 people fell ill from consuming their raw milk.

The district attorney's office filed 24 citations against Zinniker Farm, N7399 Bowers Road, charging the sale of non-compliance milk. The citations carry a total maximum penalty of $24,000.

As part of the agreement, the Zinnikers admitted the violations but the case will be held open and they will not be fined.

If Mark and Petra Zinniker were again caught selling raw milk, they would be fined the maximum--$24,000--and would lose their license to sell milk.

According to agriculture officials, 35 people from Walworth, Waukesha and Racine counties were diagnosed with a bacterial infection that causes diarrhea, cramping and vomiting.

All said they had consumed raw milk, and 30 said they got it from Zinniker Farm. Twenty-one victims were under the age of 18, and one was hospitalized. Twenty-seven of the victims were in Walworth and Waukesha counties.

Tests by state officials showed the bacteria from 25 of the patients had a DNA fingerprint matched to bacteria found in feces from cows at the Zinniker farm.

The Zinnikers can no longer sell raw milk, but they can continue to ship their products to a licensed dairy plant for pasteurization.



Source: Settlement reached in Walworth County raw milk case | LexisNexis | Professional Journal archives from AllBusiness.com

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

Wisconsin Judge Rules No Right to Own a Cow or Drink Its Milk | Food Freedom

Only a complete moron would drink unpasteurized milk - does the word Tuberculosis ring any bells? That's only ONE of the horrors that it can contain.

We have some of the aforementioned morons in our very own Fraser Valley Bible Belt dairy farms trying to circumvent the same laws here. Is it coincidental that it is the same area where there are occasional outbreaks of polio due to children not being vaccinated? IIRC, "Parental Freedom" was the justification for that.

What we need are some "Moron Freedom" laws. You sure CAN'T fix stupid.

[PBzeer]

As I understand the ruling in the original link, it wasn't about selling raw milk, it was about others boarding their cow/cows with the Zinnikers. Nor could I find any dates that match up in your link with the one I provided.

No, you can't fix stupid. Unfortunately, along with the freedom to be smart, comes the freedom to be stupid.

If individuals knowingly engage in activity that could result in the contraction of disease by themselves, should it be illegal? That seems to be the issue in my link, as opposed to a separate case as referenced by Jack about commercial selling.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

As I understand the ruling in the original link, it wasn't about selling raw milk, it was about others boarding their cow/cows with the Zinnikers. Nor could I find any dates that match up in your link with the one I provided.

No, you can't fix stupid. Unfortunately, along with the freedom to be smart, comes the freedom to be stupid.

If individuals knowingly engage in activity that could result in the contraction of disease by themselves, should it be illegal? That seems to be the issue in my link, as opposed to a separate case as referenced by Jack about commercial selling.

John


How are these separate cases? "Boarding" cows seems to be a convenient way to skirt the law and a previous court ruling.

While you cannot fix stupid. some nanny state laws are necessary when folks act like children.

[LandLocked66c]

What are the upsides to drinking raw milk? I'm off to google...

Is Raw Milk Better for You?
It should be mentioned that the greatest benefits from drinking milk derive from calcium, protein, vitamins and other minerals it contains. None of these nutrients is harmed by pasteurization.

One benefit of the raw milk is that producers willing to supply raw milk usually take a great deal of care with their animals. The use of hormones and chemicals is rare in this niche. But that benefit can be equally achieved by seeking out organic milk from a trusted supplier which pasteurizes their milk. So this must be considered more of a benefit of informed purchasing than of the untreated milk.

Actually, the only health benefit scientifically substantiated for raw milk is reduced susceptibility to allergies and asthma. The fact that farm children suffer less allergies and asthma has long been anecdotally observed, However, it could not be ruled out that other factors such as exposure to animals, dust and dirt in everyday life on a farm somehow exerts a protective effect, or that farm kids just complain less. That is, not until a study on raw milk and allergies conducted in Shropshire, England, and published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in June 2006.

After controlling for effects from household pets, breastfeeding history, frequency of barn visits and hereditary influences, Michael R. Perkin, MSc, and David P. Strachan, MD, found that drinking raw milk specifically correlated with reduced positive responses to skin-***** tests for allergies. The finding is consistent with growing evidence that the immune system needs to be challenged by a wide variety of foreign agents -- such as the natural community of (mostly harmless) bacteria in raw milk -- or it will simply pick everyday agents to attack, resulting in the symptoms we classify as allergies or asthma. However, the effect requires consumption of raw milk as a child, and no one is going so far as to recommend this for young children who are at far higher risk for complications from the illnesses associated with raw milk. Concerned parents should first consider other "pro-biotic" products if they subscribe to this hypothesis for allergy prevention.

Will Raw Milk Make Me Sick?
The population of harmless organisms in raw milk usually suffices to competitively suppress growth of harmful strains. (Note: to say that the good fauna in raw milk "kill" the bad bugs is a misinterpretation. They merely complete to multiply more successfully, so the bad bugs do not succeed to reach harmful levels.)

Nonetheless, a number of pathogens are associated with raw milk. Cases of disease attributed to raw milk can and do occur every year. Because the population drinking raw milk is small, the number of cases remains also below the health-scare radar. The most common ones are described in detail here.

Staphylcoccus aureus: Most species of Staphylcoccus aureus are harmless. But some produce toxins which are the source of many cases of food poisoning after staph bugs multiply while infected foods are in storage. According to Medicinenet.com, victims suffer nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration, usually within one to six hours of consuming contaminated food. The illness is not contagious and usually resolves within three days without any treatment.
Campylobacter: this bacterium is regarded as the most common source of food poisoning. According to the World Health Organization, campylobacter infections are on the rise in developed countries, for reasons unknown. The bacteria are widespread in livestock, and rarely cause illness in animals. But humans will suffer diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, nausea, and/or vomiting for three to six days with onset between one and ten days after consuming the contaminated food. Like Staph poisoning, the symptoms will usually go away without treatment.
Salmonella: a common cause of food poisoning, Salmonella symptoms and outcomes are much like those of Staphylcoccus aureus and Campylobacter.
Escherichia coli: The risk of infection by e coli O157:H7, is one of the main reason raw milk sales are banned or drinking raw milk discouraged. E. coli naturally inhabits everyone's intestines. But the particularly harmful O157:H7 strain of e coli is behind most of the headlines surrounding outbreaks of e coli related disease from infected lettuce, peanut butter or beaches. Victims take ill three to eight days after exposure, and suffer cramps and diarrhea for up to ten days. Most recover just fine, but according to WHO: "It is estimated that up to 10% of patients with EHEC infection may develop HUS, with a case-fatality rate ranging from 3% to 5%. Overall, HUS is the most common cause of acute renal failure in young children. It can cause neurological complications (such as seizure, stroke and coma) in 25% of HUS patients and chronic renal sequelae, usually mild, in around 50% of survivors."
Listeria: causes miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth. A terrible case occured in 2000-2001 in North Carolina, when five stillbirths, three premature deliveries and two infected infants resulted from consumption of fresh, soft-style cheese made from locally produced raw milk. In this case, the rule seems clear: pregnant women should not take risks with raw milk or raw milk products.
Yersinia: this relatively rare source of standard food poisoning symptoms can occasionally cause joint pain that lasts for months or years after onset of illness.
Brucella: only a couple hundred cases occur in the U.S. each year. Characterized by a so-called 'undulating fever,' Brucellosis can lead to serious consequences and must be treated.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis: can triggering serious lung disease, although the illness is hard to catch. For example, of 42 people identified as drinking raw milk from a tuberculosis infected herd in Pennsylvania, none were found to be TB positive. On the other hand, it can happen: raw milk cheese was found to be the source of a tuberculosis outbreak in New York.

[PBzeer]

They are separate because they are two different rulings on two different matters. The case you referenced is for the sale of raw milk. The case I referenced is for the boarding of dairy cows by private entities. All you have to do is look at the dates to realize this.

[WouldaShoulda]

Originally Posted by jackdale

While you cannot fix stupid. some nanny state laws are necessary when folks act like children.

Like Marijuana laws??

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by WouldaShoulda

Like Marijuana laws??

Canada has looked at decriminalizing marijuana; the biggest obstacle - our neighbour to the south.

Canada's Proposed Decriminalization of Marijuana: International Implications and Views (PRB 04-33E)