3,561,596 members
12,429,752 petition signatures
$19,571,785,510 diverted from Big Pharma
Raids are increasing on farms and private food-supply clubs
When the 20 agents arrived bearing a search warrant at her Ventura County farmhouse door at 7 a.m. on a Wednesday a couple weeks back, Sharon Palmer didn’t know what to say. This was the third time she was being raided in 18 months, and she had thought she was on her way to resolving the problem over labeling of her goat cheese that prompted the other two raids. (In addition to producing goat’s milk, she raises cattle, pigs, and chickens, and makes the meat available via a CSA.)
But her 12-year-old daughter, Jasmine, wasn’t the least bit tongue-tied. “She started back-talking to them,” recalls Palmer. “She said, ‘If you take my computer again, I can’t do my homework.’ This would be the third computer we will have lost. I still haven’t gotten the computers back that they took in the previous two raids.”
As part of a five-hour-plus search of her barn and home, the agents — from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, Los Angeles County Sheriff, Ventura County Sheriff, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture — took the replacement computer, along with milk she feeds her chickens and pigs.
While no one will say officially what the purpose of this latest raid was, aside from being part of an investigation in progress, what is very clear is that government raids of producers, distributors, and even consumers of nutritionally dense foods appear to be happening ever more frequently. Sometimes they are meant to counter raw dairy production, other times to challenge private food organizations over whether they should be licensed as food retailers.
The same day Sharon Palmer’s farm was raided, there was a raid on Rawesome Foods, a Venice, Calif., private food club run by nutritionist and raw-food advocate Aajonus Vonderplanitz. For a membership fee of $25, consumers can purchase unpasteurized dairy products, eggs that are not only organic but unwashed, and a wide assortment of fermented vegetables and other products.
The main difference in the two raids seems to be that Palmer’s raiding party was actually much smaller, about half the size of the Venice contingent: Vonderplanitz was also visited by the FBI and the FDA.
In the Rawesome raid, agents made off with several thousand dollars worth of raw honey and raw dairy products. They also shut Rawesome for failure to have a public health permit, though the size and scope of the raid suggests the government officials might have more in mind. Regardless, within hours the outlet reopened in defiance of the shutdown order.
Earlier in June, agents of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, escorted by police and also bearing search warrants, raided and shut down Traditional Foods Warehouse, a popular food club in Minneapolis specializing in locally-produced foods. They also raided two farms suspected of illegally selling raw milk. And in a national first among such raids, agents searched a private home and made off with computers; the family’s offense appears to have been that it allowed one of the raw dairy farmers to park in its driveway to distribute raw milk to area residents who had ordered it.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has declined comment on such raids, saying they are part of an ongoing investigation into raw milk distribution in the state in lieu of eight illnesses in May linked to raw milk.
Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection has launched three raids over the last three months on the dairy farm and farm store of Vernon Hershberger, near Madison. The day after DATCP agents placed seals on his fridges storing raw dairy products in July, Hershberger cut the seals, and announced he was going to challenge the agency’s contention he needs a dairy and retail license to sell his products. Obtaining such licenses would be problematic, though, since Wisconsin prohibits sale of raw milk, except “incidental” sales, and defining “incidental” has been a bone of contention for many years. In any event, Hershberger contends he sells only to consumers who contract privately for his food.
What’s behind all these raids? They seem to stem from increasing concern at both the state and federal level about the spread of private food groups that have sprung up around the country in recent years — food clubs and buying groups to provide specialized local products that are generally unavailable in groceries, like grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, fermented foods, and, in some cases, raw dairy products. Because they are private and limited to consumers who sign up for membership, these groups generally avoid obtaining retail and public health licenses required of retailers that sell to the general public. (For more on what’s behind the raids, see this new post.)
In late 2008 and early 2009, the representatives of state agriculture agencies in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois met via phone conferences with representatives of the FDA to map a plan for targeting raw-milk buying clubs in the Midwest. The meetings came to light after Max Kane, the owner of a Wisconsin buying club who was subpoenaed by Wisconsin authorities for the names of his customers and suppliers, obtained email accounts of the sessions via a Freedom of Information request to Wisconsin’s Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection department. (Kane has since been prosecuted by Wisconsin authorities for contempt of court for failing to give up the names; his case is under appeal after he was found guilty last December.)
Now, the Midwest program seems to have gone national, and the recent spate of raids suggests a quickening pace and broadened scope. While most raids before the Midwest government meetings had been related to raw-milk distribution, some, like a December 2008 armed raid of Manna Storehouse, an Ohio food club near Cleveland, have been about licensing issues. In that raid, armed law enforcement officers held a mother and eight young children being home-schooled at gunpoint for several hours while they searched the home and food storage areas. A legal challenge to the raid by the family is still tied up in court.
The current uptick has Pete Kennedy of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund concerned, not only about the spreading of the raids, but about the seemingly easy willingness of judges to hand out search warrants. While the U.S. Constitution’s fourth amendment suggests judges should exercise tight controls over search warrants (“no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…”), Kennedy observes, “I haven’t seen an agency turned down yet” over the last four years in requests for search warrants connected with raw milk and other food production and distribution.
Given that the targets of search warrants don’t get a say in court as to whether they should be issued, legal experts and those who have been raided say the most that food producers can do is take steps to prepare themselves to weather the raids as best they can.
http://www.grist.org/article/food-five-tips-for-surviving-a-raid-on-your-farm-or-food-club/
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As someone from the uk , this sounds absolutely terrifying , to be raided , and in the case of the home-educating mother and her eight ( terrified ?) children to be held at gun-point is almost too much to believe – i know quite a few Americans who have come to England to live and when i asked why on earth they’d want to come here , they’ve all said ( all of them were separate people in different parts of the country ) because of the Politics of The States – i can see why now .
I read just today that all American children from age 0 to 18 are to be “screened” for mental “problems” – lets hope this Bill dosen’t go through – a complete and utter nightmare – i feel so sorry for all those lovely , good American people who just don’t deserve any of this .
My mother died very recently – her GP gace her the medical drug , AVANDIA – she died and i feel proud of all the Americans who’ve had the courage to try to sue Glaxosmithkline, a British drug company , for not giving the true , full facts to the public of the side effects of AVANDIA – my mum was from a strong Welsh family who all lived well into their eighties and nineties with no heart or other serious health problems , then she suddenlt dropped dead from heart failure – one of the “things” AVANDIA causes.
I hope this Bill dosen’t go through in America , otherwise we’re looking at a country drugging it’s children to the hilt and so many psychiatric drugs are extremely powerful – the American based organisation THE CITIZENS’ COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS shows very clearly the side effects of these drugs on children – not a pretty sight – does America actually care about it’s children ???? or rather does the Government care – this is your future – why would a decent American President want this for this fantastic and wonderfully unique country?
I can’t believe the already monumentally wealthy drug companies want to make even more profit – the old saying – money is the cause of all evil – greed can be a part of money – drug companies could be seen in this light by the way they behave – psychiatric drugs aren’t even tested on children / teens under the age of eighteen.
Yet ,innocent families selling raw milk are being raided and some held at gun-point ?
many thanks , linda from England.
May the good Lord bless our country and cast all evil players back into the pit where they belong.
Folks we live in the USSA. The USA still exists in our hearts but the USSA has taken over the federal and most state gestapos.
Until we acknowledge and work to change this it will only grow WORSE.
Say NO!
NO drugs, NO “vaccines” NO FDA approved poison “food” and “water”.
As for the question “Why would a decent American President want this for this fantastic and wonderfully unique country?” We do not have such a president. If anything is clear by now this is. Our government has been totally subverted.
To put these raids in context here is Doctor Rima Laibows’ view of the murderous tyranny affecting our health.
Burner 1: Vaccines for illness marketing and depopulation
Burner 2: Compulsory drugging and forced vaccination
Burner 3: Complete the industrialization and degradation of the food supply
Burner 4: Destroy the lives and capacities of generations of Americans by ignoring the neuro-tragedy which is caused by drugs and vaccines
Burner 5: Forced medical decisions
Burner 6. Forced, secret degradation of food through the application of Codex approved “standards” and “guidelines”
Burner 7: Taking away our First Amendment rights
Burner 8: The FDA’s stealth mis-labeling of natural devices, supplements, herbs and healthful foods as “drugs” or “devices”
Time for violent confrontation with these retard jack booted thugs. They need to be shot from the scumbag criminal CEO’s to the janitors.
Wow. It hasnt made news in Australia that the USA is now a dictatorship. I must have missed the stories. I thought you guys were proud of being the land of the free and all that jazz, free speech and everything? Apparently not.
Sorry Lou, this problem started long ago under previous administrations. Read your history books.
This is sheer lunacy and can so easily be stopped. In these counties where these raids occur, if the Sheriff is educated that they are the supreme law, the Sheriff can make sure that these raids do not happen. I urge everyone to check out Oath Keepers. Go to You Tube and watch the videos of Sheriff Richard Mack. He has written a booklet which anyone can order and give to their local sheriff. The sheriff has jurisdiction even over the federal government. And I believe he has now written a book that can be given to the Chief of Police in any city. The booklets do not cost much but oh the difference they can make. And if your sheriff ignores the message? Elect one who will uphold the Constitution. After all they took an oath to do just that.
This is nothing more than a replay of Hitler and his tactics. If we do not start fighting back they will keep taking til there is nothing left to take. I want more than that for my future generations. I want my country back! How about you?
We in this country, well the enlightened, knowlegeable ones, should resist THIS form or ANY form of tyranny with the most STRONGEST OF WILL and STEADFASTNESS OF SPIRIT. This dilema that we find ourselves in is a result of unwarrented, unnecessary, total convoluted usurpery of the united states constituition. False flag “events” along with a global co-operation of the “goverments” of this world, is subtlely putting the general populis into darrest, ARREST and darrangement. The most incredible thing about this orchestrated treason/domestic terrorism is, that the general populis are unaware of this most disgusting and Freudian, baphometic(evil) endeavoris -which makes it all to diffucult to form a national coalation of about 100,000,000 or more to MARCH on these influenced agencies. Who, at the very TOP, recieve and carry out orders from “diplomatic” foregin leaders of state, whom, in return reciprocate w/crispy, green, dollar bills, OTHER than to do what’s right for the BEST vested interest of the people. But their is hope because as many of you have heard in these most recently, chaotic times, It took a small army of dedicated citizens to bring about the revolution…
I can’t find any Sharon Palmer in Ventura County, Ca. Is the author sure that the story is valid?
As I look around me, I see that the children of unenlightened parents suffer from various chronic conditions, starting with ear infections and other supposedly unavoidable childhood conditions. My children grew up on home-grown organic produce and eggs, raw milk products and very little flesh-food — as a result, they were never sick, have beatiful strong teeth and hair, and, although now middle-aged, are all strong, active and healthy. None of us use pharmaceutical products of any kind. If a survey was conducted of people like my family, it would become obvious to the general population that our government is not concerned about our health and wellbeing, but exists to support the profit-making greedy multi-national corporations. Our only recourse is to publicize how we live, together with the results.
I’m horrified by the raids and the extent of them, the violent style and the confiscating of computers and other items. This could ruin good people and scar children for life. And this is to try to prosecute people for selling pure milk? The world has gone mad..
Coming from a subject in a nation without freedom of health care and without freedom and right to keep and bear arms? Sure thing , subject, UK is a model. More like a bloody nightmare. I travel there often, you must be on some good “stuff”
what a great deal of people here are missing is the 3 steps to the takeover of a population , 1 Diminish Education 2 CONTROL THE FOOD CHAIN and 3 remove firearms. its that simple and it has always worked . check your history hitler used it as did Stalin. What makes you think we are safe from Corporate America. I was raised on Raw Milk, Dam best drink on te planet I had fresh eggs right out ther chicken and they both milk and eggs had a taste uncomparable to the craop we are sold now. The engineered food is also noticable different , it has less than 30% of the taste and less than 50% of the nutritional value. These raids are nothing more than a measure of population control. 8 sicknesses? Who are they kidding? look at mass produced milk from infected cows , look at meats so loaded with hormones and anti biotics , the effect there is a reduction of our own ability to fight off new and superviruses and bacterial infections. Home grown non corporate is healthier period. they want to nip it In The Bud as it were with corporate harrassment. if there isnt a law against it there will be soon. by the way here is a bit more While our attention is taken by the oil spill inn the giulf the politicians repubvlicans to be exact and oil companies are already marking new territory for unsafe drilling Howe typical of republicands scum sucking rotten lying slugs
There really is help for these people. I am a benefactor of their services. They are a private legal asociation who helps their members set themselves up in private membership associations, which exempts them from outside interference. They provide substantial case law and testimonials of the groups they have helped. Call the office of ProAdvocate Group in Frisco, Tx. and ask for Larry.
Aim for the center of mass; empty the clip.
Linda did not hold up the UK as a shining example of what’s right, and your attitude is parochial, at best.
And, BTW, YOU now live in a land without freedom of healthcare or to keep and bear arms, IF you live in the USA.
So what’s your point, other than that finger you have pointed away from the issue and at a person who ‘gets it’.
I think you work for the FDA or one of those other alphabet soup agencies as an ‘agent provocateur’.
It won’t be long before someone says ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and starts shooting these raiders.
The first 2 paragraphs of The Declaration of Independence states that it is the Right of The People to do away with an oppressive government and form a new one (read it if you don’t believe me)…only time and actions like this will tell how long it will be before Americans reach that limit.
One thing is clear: The American People are really, really pissed off, and they are not going to take much more of this.
Wow – what an erudite manner of speaking you have my dear colleague.
Anyways, I despite statism and authoritarianism and you have rather thin skin to think the likes of Mick Russom is an, lol, agent provocateur.
I like the use of parochial, but I find that rather staid and hackneyed. Its such a cliche usage of parochial and likely thrown in there to appear that since you have such a command of language then what you are saying must be smart and correct.
I am about liberty, freedom, enumerated, god given and natural rights and I despise statist authoritarianism, and the UK with its eugenicists and Fabian socialists and its radical socialism has made the face of evil, the face of big government and big brother, over time, socially acceptable, I find any UK or EU attempts at doing the right thing to be feigned and helpless. Its a monster, the EU, controlled by oligarchical collectivists.
The point is that the jack booted RAIDS go on in the UK, its just the Pravda Novosti Press of the UK suppresses it all. The idea the USA is more of a nightmare police state than the EU is farcical assertion. That was my point.
Statist authoritarianism started with LBJ. Continued on until today. But if I had to point out a point of no return, the beginning of the USSA, it would be with 2008 and Obama.
It has become a radical nightmare police state with mountains of new legislation unread containing radical police state powers.
Bush was bad, everything between LBJ and now was bad, but this is a bloody nightmare. It is shocking to see the progressives planning another Holodomor for the the Kulaks.
These “Agency” actions, conducted underm mere FICTIONS, of what are
but “termed”(Colored as: (RIGHT of Color of Law) fly in the FACE of
the TRUE “jus naturale”(common Law of the de jure Constitution & the
Republic of California, carried out under mere “Trickeries of LAW”
under the “pretense of PUBLICK Safety”(jus publicum), {public Law}) in
direct CONTRADISTINCTION to the Constitutions of The “Continental
United States of America Republic” and the Republic of California, in
an ABSOLUTE WAR (of legal Fiction as “jus fetiales” (Fatal, war to
Destoy by: ancient, secret, mystic, conjurgations by Evil ConSPIRITors
of the “religion, of SATAN’s angels on the Earth!”
These “ATROCITIES” of Treasonous, Tyrannical Oprressions of Liberty,
Freedom and GOD “GRANTED rights” Of Private Property (“jus Privatum”,
(Private Law)”jus soli”, (Law of the Land / soil) conjured up by
AGENTS and ACTORS of the DEVIL, by the UNHOLY ADministrRATIVE Process,
by the Black Robed Priests of HELL in their CHURCH of Ba’al, Ashtoreth
(Lilith) and SATAN under the: Ancient Roman Civil, Oriental
Despotic, Babbylonian-Summarian, Musilim Jihaudist SCHEME’s Asserted in
American Courts as Administrative Justice, Trial by Minister of SATAN
to “DESTROY” the PRIVATE RIGHTS, appurtanant to Landed Estates, in FEE
SIMPLE Absolute/ Alloidial Title to: LANDS of WE THE PEOPLE, obtained
by: “bona fide contracts of sovereign Nations” pursuant
to “International Law” and the “Treaty of Peace”( “Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo” 9 stat. 922) Note: the RIGHTS of the TREATY flow with the
GRANT from the POWER of CONGRESS assented to and evidenced. at LAw, by
the “Hand and Seal of the President”; Woodrow Wilson. {see: Nolan vs.
California Coastal Tidewaters Commission/ Summa Corp. Vs St. of Calif,
also Begggerly vs U.S. B.L.M. and esp. “Chisolm vs Georgia”, for
clearer understandings}.
These abusive attacks of WAR to obtain: “CONTROL of all PRIVATE
PROPERTY” (One of 10 Planks of; O’Bama, REID and Pelosi’s “COMMUNIST
MANIFESTO,” are manifestly necessary, to SATISY the “Wicked Pleasures”
of their Evil Master, in: ENSLAVEMENT of All the GOYIM (mere cattle to
be slaughtered)in invocation of the N.W.O. plan; of Communism, imposed
by RULE of FORCE(by: BOOTS on the Necks), to effect SLAVERY
(“involuntary sevitude”) to the Elitist Masters of SATAN!
This is a: “SOFT START” of the p;anned “REVOLUTION by DESTRUCTION”
to foment and incite INSURRECTION, by the “abused masses” of: “We The
People” to, by a multiplicity of vexatious torments, render no other
alternative for some! But, violence?
Restrain your well founded impulses and PRAY to the TRUE GOD of
ISRAEL: Yhwh to assist us in mounting a de jure(Law of RIGHT)Competent,
Knowledgeable, Intelligent Defense, with Nature’s GOD of LIGHT, RIGHT
and MIGHT as HE the “L”, will surely stand with the righteous against
these PERVERTERS of the TRUE LAW if we but Call upon him in fervernt
prayer and prayerfully request his assistance to smite the EVIL one and
His ilth.
May GOD / Yhwh, have mercy on the New Jerusulum in America, and
preserve and protect the Blessings of Freedom, Liberty, GOD’s Private
Property and the Sovereign Nature of Man(Spirit Children of the TRUE
GOD) from the Evil corrupt OUTLAW conSPIRITors of SATAN, “masqurading”
as “PUBLICK SERVANTS” of WE GOD”S PEOPLE in the
Continental United States!
WE must all HANG together; or HANG separately!
This Relator speaks. in Absolute bona fide: Truth and
Honesty, pursuant to the Common Law of the Land and Nature’s GOD,So
Help me GOD/”L”, Ahmen!
Hosea4:6, “MY people parrish for lack of knowledge”! Public Law 97-
280: “The Bible IS: THE WORD OF GOD and men should be urged to: Learn
and apply it” (or suffer the DISABILITIES applied by IT!){inferred}
You MUST! Teach your Children, of the TRUTH of the TRUE GOD of ISRAEL!
To Lou,
I just wanted to add in the your statement of “no vaccines” if one of the poorest examples of an educated standpoint I have ever heard. The issue at hand is tyrannical indeed, but no vaccines is just uneducated and, frankly, poor judgement as a person, citezen, and parent.