Falls Church, VA—November 07, 2015—In response to the growing number of people producing their own food in this country, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) has created a homesteader membership category. Homesteaders and home food producers are a growing part of the American
Breaking News: Ontario Raw Milk Farmer Released After Overnight Jail
Durham, Ontario—October 20, 2015—West Grey Police detained raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt on October 19, 2015 and held him overnight when he reported for booking on theft charges. The Canadian government is
Raw Pet Milk Sales Now Legal in Maryland
Raw pet milk sales are now legal in Maryland, one of the most anti-raw milk states in the U.S. A grass-based dairy, P.A. Bowen Farmstead of Brandywine, has obtained
Raw Milk Nation – Chart & Map Updates
The 2015 legislative session was a productive one with six different states enacting laws increasing raw milk access: Connecticut, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming. This latest update accounts for the changes the state legislatures
FTCLDF Member Settles Case with Slaughterhouse
Falls Church, VA—September 30, 2015—The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund has settled another case on behalf of one of its members, Neil Perin, owner of Arcadian Acres, who raises pork and Randall veal calves near Athens, Ohio. In early 2014, Perin took three of his Randall heritage
PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Representatives Massie and Pingree Reintroduce Milk Freedom Legislation
Washington, D.C.—September 18, 2015—U.S. Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and a bipartisan coalition of 16 other lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to improve consumer food choices and to protect local farmers from federal
The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967: Disaster for Small Slaughterhouses from the Start
Passage of the PRIME Act [H.R. 3187] would give states the power to legalize the sale of custom processed meat in intrastate commerce (i.e., meat from an animal slaughtered and processed at a facility where an inspector is not required to be present to observe the slaughtering and conduct an
Support H.R. 3187, the PRIME Act (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption)
White Paper on the PRIME Act [H.R. 3187] Prepared by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
House Resolution H.R. 3187, the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act, would give individual states the freedom to pass laws allowing the sale of custom
The Slaughterhouse Monopoly: How One Farmer Fights Back
As a farmer of rare and endangered livestock who cares about the animals as well as the consumers destined to enjoy the various products we raise, finding a slaughterhouse and processor is one of the most important aspects that most people fail to consider. Today, much like
Turning the Tables in Minnesota
From 2010–2014, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) did everything it could to put Gibbon dairy farmer Mike Hartmann out of business. Whether it was raiding Hartmann’s farm, impounding his truck, confiscating and destroying his products, embargoing his