Recent debate over whether raw milk is healthy or hazardous has been a lot like comparing apples and oranges, say advocates who argue how safe it is all depends on the size of the herd.
They say small, well-managed dairy farms are different from large-scale producers, and that the law as it stands doesn’t fit the issue.
Gathering in Toronto on Saturday they professed science backs their stance as they showed support for a renegade dairy farmer currently arguing at his own trial that people should have the right to choose what to drink.
Michael Schmidt of Durham, Ont., is being tried for allegedly dispensing milk straight from the cow, rather than adhering to regulations that require all milk sold in Canada be pasteurized.
The group flanking him took a line contrary to the mainstream scientific view that has supported heat-treating milk since the early 20th century. They say locally sourced foods, where quality trumps quantity, is the key to health safety.
