Raw-milk activist ends hunger strike in style

Farmer Michael Schmidt ended a hunger strike outside Ontario's legislature in style Wednesday as a group of Toronto chefs brought him baskets of food.

In his fight to get the provincial government to legalize the sale of raw milk, Schmidt lost 50 pounds during his four-week diet of unpasteurized milk and other fluids.

Schmidt said it was now time to try another tactic.

He started his hunger strike after his farmnear Durham, in southwestern Ontario north of Guelph, was raided by police and provincial authorities on Nov. 21. He was charged with operating a milk plant without a licence and his equipment was seized.

The issue was debated in the Ontario legislature, but the government has repeatedly said it would not change the decades-old Milk Act that bansthe sale of unpasteurized milk because it can contain dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli or salmonella.

The charges starteda debate about the law, and several high-profile people, including Toronto-basedcelebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, came out in support of Schmidt's fight against what he called an "ancient" law.

Schmidt was providing milk to about 150 families, many of them living in Toronto.
The people who used his milk co-own the cattle at his farm in a shareholder-style system used to skirt the law.

In spite of his government's opposition to the sale of raw milk, Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara's family owns shares in Schmidt's operation.

Sorbara said he has been a longtime advocate for the legalization of raw milk distribution, noting it is legal to buy in Europe and many U.S. states.