West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Walt Helmick filed final emergency rules governing herdshare operations on August 26. The emergency regulations are in effect for 15 months at which point the state
FTCLDF Member Bavuso Before Virginia Supreme Court Again
On September 15 at 9:00 a.m. the Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case of York County Board of Supervisors et al. v. Bavuso, marking the second time in three years that oyster farmer and Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund member Anthony Bavuso will
Decline in U.S. Slaughterhouse Numbers Continues
On April 20, 2016, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) published its 2015 Livestock Slaughter Summary; the data indicates further deterioration of U.S. slaughterhouse infrastructure. The total number of
RNC Keeps Junk Food on the Table
The sham known as the DARK Act was an ugly reminder about who controls food policy in this country. Virginia farmer and activist Bernadette Barber provides details on who the players are and how they operate.
Getting from “Es-carg-no” to Escargot
FTCLDF member Ric Brewer, owner at Little Gray Farms Escargots, had a potentially profitable niche business lined up—selling snails to restaurants—but USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service created obstacles
West Virginia Raw Milk: Making the Legal Illegal
What do you do if you oppose any raw milk distribution and your state legislature passes a law legalizing herd shares? If you are the West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture and the West Virginia Department
Courts Vindicate Amish Farmer for Fourth Time
If at first you don’t succeed at harassing a farmer out of business, try again…and again…and again. That has been the tack the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Hopewell Township have taken since 2012 against Amish farmer
Another Raw Milk Raid in Texas
Imagine going to pick up your weekly gallon of milk, only to be met by a group of county health inspectors and sheriff’s deputies who threaten arrest if you take the milk. Sound far-fetched? Perhaps. But that’s exactly what happened
How Consumers Can Respond to a Raid
When it comes to the alternative food movement, it is usually the farmer against whom the government takes enforcement action. However, there are many examples where a person allows their driveway, front door stoop, or back porch to be used
The United States of America v. Miller’s Organic Farm and Amos Miller
On June 28 an American court will once again address the question of whether there is a legal distinction between the public and private distribution of food. To this point no judge in this country has held that there is a