Image: Bechard–GaryWithMembers.jpg
Watch video below
Armand and Teddi Bechard of Conway, Missouri at court with Fund General Counsel Gary Cox. Recently in an out-of-court settlement with the State, the Bechards are free to continue raw milk deliveries to their customers. Read the details
Watch Armand Bechard discuss his family’s ordeal – St. Louis Regional WAPF Conference, May 2012
Watch other first-hand farm raid stories told at the FundRAISER dinner held at the St. Louis Regional Conference for Weston A. Price in May 2012.
Bechard Case Updates
December 9, 2011
The Fund is defending Missouri dairy farmers Armand and Teddi Bechard of Bechard Family Farm in a civil action brought by the State of Missouri. Two undercover agents from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department have alleged they bought raw milk from the Bechards’ daughters at a central distribution point. The State has filed for a permanent injunction.
The parties conducted depositions in this case back in August and November 2010; and there has been no activity in the case since then.
March 8, 2011
Fund Defends Bechard Family Farm against State of Missouri
The Fund is defending Missouri dairy farmers Armand and Teddi Bechard of Bechard Family Farm in a civil action brought by the State of Missouri. Two undercover agents from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department have alleged they bought raw milk from the Bechard’s daughters at a central distribution point. The State has filed for a permanent injunction. The county district attorney’s office has also brought a criminal action against Armand Bechard for allegedly selling milk at a premise off the farm.
In the criminal case, Armand Bechard was found guilty by a lower court of operating a “retail food establishment” without a license and has appealed that conviction to a higher court. On Appeal, the Fund assisted Mr. Bechard in the preparation of his case and eventually had the case dismissed because the district attorney’s office could not prove its case.
In the civil case, the Fund has deposed the county inspectors who allegedly “purchased” raw milk from the Bechards and has also deposed a representative from the Missouri Milk Board. The Milk Board representative admitted during her deposition that there are no statutes that regulate the Bechard’s conduct. The Fund still needs to conduct the deposition of some laboratory personnel to question them about the validity of some test results of milk samples. The Fund will soon be filing a summary judgment motion with the Court seeking to obtain an order that disposes of the case in favor of the Bechards.
December 28, 2010
Missouri Civil Action against Bechard Family Farm
FTCLDF is defending Missouri dairy farmers, Armand and Teddi Bechard of Bechard Family Farm, in a civil action brought by the State of Missouri. Two undercover agents from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department have alleged they bought raw milk from the Bechards’ daughters at a central distribution point. The state has filed for a permanent injunction. The county district attorney’s office has also brought a criminal action against Armand Bechard for allegedly selling milk at a premises off the farm.
In the criminal case, Armand Bechard was found guilty of operating a “retail food establishment” without a license and has appealed that conviction to a higher court. In the civil case, the Fund has deposed the county inspectors who allegedly “purchased” raw milk from the Bechards and has also deposed a representative from the Missouri Milk Board. The Milk Board representative admitted during her deposition that there are no statutes that regulate the Bechard’s conduct. The Fund still needs to conduct the deposition of some laboratory personnel to question them about the validity of some test results of milk samples. The Fund will soon be filing a summary judgment motion with the Court seeking to obtain an order that disposes of the case in favor of the Bechards.
September 22, 2010
FTCLDF is defending Missouri dairy farmers, Armand and Teddi Bechard of Bechard Family Farm, in a civil action brought by the State of Missouri. Two undercover agents from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department have alleged they bought raw milk from the Bechards’ daughters at a central distribution point. The state has filed for a permanent injunction.
The county district attorney’s office has also brought a criminal action against Armand Bechard for allegedly selling milk at a location off the farm premises. On August 20 a Springfield Municipal Court judge found Armand Bechard guilty for operation of a food establishment without a permit. On August 30, the judge ordered that Bechard be fined $250 dollars. Armand, who is being represented by local counsel in the criminal case, has appealed the judgment.
On the civil side of matters, the State of Missouri has answered the Fund members’ Bechard’s interrogatories and request for production of documents. Those answers to interrogatories will form the basis of an eventual motion for summary judgment to be filed by the Bechards. In addition, the Fund will soon be conducting depositions of several Missouri Milk Board individuals and certain laboratory personnel to further marshal the evidence in support of its motion for summary judgment.
May 24, 2010
FTCLDF is defending Missouri dairy farmers, Armand and Teddi Bechard of Bechard Family Farm, in a civil action brought by the State of Missouri. Two undercover agents from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department have alleged they bought raw milk from the Bechards’ daughters at a central distribution point. The State has filed for a permanent injunction to prevent the Bechards from delivering at a central distribution point the raw milk they have sold their customers. The State is arguing that deliveries to customers must be made directly to the customers’ residences. The Fund moved to dismiss the State’s case but that motion was denied. In answering the State’s civil complaint, the Fund brought a counter claim against the State, arguing that it is not against the law to sell raw dairy products at the farm and then deliver those products to the owners at a centralized distribution point. The State has answered the counter claim and the parties are waiting on the court to issue a scheduling order that will decide how the case will proceed.
The county district attorney’s office has also brought a criminal action against Armand Bechard for allegedly selling milk at a location off the farm premises. Mr. Bechard has local counsel representing him in the criminal proceeding.
