Round One in what I labeled last February “the main event”—the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—has just begun.
The FDA is seeking a quick knockout via a motion to dismiss the FTCLDF suit. That’s pretty standard practice in court suits, but what is notable is that the FDA made its case in a 30-page legal brief that amounts to a legal rebuttal to the FTCLDF suit, point by point. The FDA thus seems to be taking the case seriously, and trying hard to make it go away. It’s a pretty amazing document, addressing at last many of the arguments that have been made on this blog over the last few years, giving words to what many here have long suspected about FDA views. (No, the FDA doesn’t often share with us ordinary folks its great thoughts.)
The FTCLDF in its suit had argued that the FDA’s ban on interstate shipment and sale of raw milk in effect deprived consumers in five states and a food buying group owner in Georgia of a number of constitutional rights. The suit charged that “all Plaintiffs are being deprived of their fundamental and inalienable rights of (a) traveling across State lines with raw dairy products legally obtained and possessed; (b) providing for the care and well being of themselves and their families, including their children; and (c) producing, obtaining and consuming the foods of choice for themselves and their families, including their children.”
At stake, it said, are “the Constitutional Right to Travel; the Constitutional Right of Privacy; the substantive due process clause of the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution; Article 1, Section 1 of the United States Constitution (the Separation of Powers/Non-delegation doctrine)…”
In countering each of the FTCLDF’s points, the FDA lawyers cite a variety of legal precedents they say upholds the agency’s right to prohibit raw milk shipments across state lines. They suggest that the interstate prohibition is merely one tactic at its disposal, that the agency could actually be doing more to limit raw milk availability. It notes that “the government has neither brought nor threatened to bring a single enforcement action against consumers who purchase unpasteurized milk for personal consumption or retailers of such products who do not engage in interstate commerce.”
The FDA even suggests that it is being benevolent by not banning raw milk entirely, pointing out that the 1987 court decision that led it to implement a ban on interstate shipment and sale of raw milk asserted “that ‘it is within HHS’s authority…to institute an intrastate ban as well’… FDA could have…prohibited intrastate sales but concluded ‘that State and local authorities may be better situated to deal with the public health problems attributable to unpasteurized milk.’” Thank you, thank you, most wonderful FDA.
The brief is most notable for its view of the evolution of food safety regulations, and the emerging issue of food rights. In the FDA’s view, an assortment of court decisions backing up federal legislation give it pretty much carte blanche to decide what food is safe. This is a view that pre-dates the U.S. Constitution, in the view of FDA lawyers-turned-historians. It says that “there is no ‘deeply rooted’ historical tradition of unfettered access to food of all kinds… To the contrary, society’s long history of food regulation stretches back to the dietary laws of biblical times…Modern food safety regulation in the United States has its roots in the early food laws of the American colonies, which themselves incorporated ‘the tradition of food regulation established in England.’” The brief then cites an 1873 Virginia law “that ‘made it an offense . . . [to] knowingly, sell, supply, or bring to be manufactured . . . milk from which any cream has been taken; or milk commonly known as skimmed milk’).’”
Yes, you read that FDA example correctly. Virginia prohibited sale of milk that had been fooled with in any way, such as removing cream. Under such a regulation, pasteurization and all the other things done to modern milk would be illegal. Is that the best the FDA can come up with in terms of historical precedents?
The current prohibition on interstate raw milk shipments was implemented by FDA, according to the brief, “in 1987, after spending thirteen years collecting and evaluating scientific information regarding the health risks of unpasteurized milk, holding a public hearing that resulted in over 300 comments, and…ultimately concluding that consumption of these products was linked to the outbreak of serious disease.” The brief neglects to mention what I describe in The Raw Milk Revolution–that among these hundreds of comments were many in favor of raw milk, and against the interstate prohibition. How could the FDA lawyers have missed those?
It gets worse. In recounting its version of the history of food safety and regulation, the brief concludes, “There is no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular kind of food.” The basis? “Comprehensive federal regulation of the food supply has been in effect at least since Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906… Thus, plaintiffs’ claim to a fundamental privacy interest in obtaining ‘foods of their own choice’ for themselves and their families is without merit.”
Bet you didn’t realize this, but according to the FDA lawyers, “There is no generalized right to bodily and physical health.” Yes, yes, and here’s the deal: The claim in the FTCLDF suit is “similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish.” Guess if you can’t get healthy food, you automatically lose the right to bodily and physical health.
I kept trying to remind myself this is a legal document as I tried to make sense of the lawyers’ efforts to link the question of our right to bodily and physical health to Supreme Court pronouncements on abortion and end-of-life rights. But the whole issue of a right to bodily and physical health is moot in any event, since Big Brother is there watching over us: “Finally, even if such a right did exist, it would not render FDA’s regulations unconstitutional because prohibiting the interstate sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk promotes ‘bodily and physical health.’” Got that? The whole issue of rights is irrelevant since FDA has decreed that pasteurized milk is health-giving and raw milk is dangerous. Well, guess we can all go home now and enjoy our pasteurized milk, and any other processed food the FDA determines promotes bodily and physical health.
Essentially, the FDA seems to be saying to the court: Congress gave us the authority to oversee the food supply, so we’re the ones in charge here. We decide what foods people have a right to eat, and we decide what is health giving. And don’t forget it.
If the FTCLDF survives this opening round, this could be a slugfest of a case. It’s interesting that one of the government’s lawyers on the case is Roger Gural, the Justice Department guy a federal judge castigated in the FDA’s civil suit against Organic Pastures Dairy Co.
I couldn’t help but think, as my mind numbed from trying to make sense of the various legal precedents and cases quoted by the FDA’s lawyers in their interpretation of what rights we have and don’t have, that there was no mention of the Declaration of Independence, and its introduction: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…” We’re talking about milk here, guys.
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Wisconsin dairyman Scott Trautman is conducting an informal survey on what people see as the most significant risk factors associated with raw milk. Details at his blog.
we’ll prevail.
The people who tried to take home the milk they had privately purchased for their own consumption, but instead had their milk seized and dumped right in front of them at my house would likely disagree. Including me. I was not allowed to put the milk I had purchased for my own consumption in my own refrigerator, even though it was mere feet away from where the FDA agent was standing.
One of several recent examples of FDAs picking-off individual farmers has caused the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund to publish an Alert which includes a sample form of letter to assist consumers in supporting their farmers.
http://www.ftcldf.org/aa/aa-26april2010.htm
Drop John Sheehan at the FDA a note and tell him what you think of the FDA religion.
The FDA will lose.
BH
http://www.JuicyMaters.com
You should contact the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and inquire about signing onto the class action suit. It wouldn’t cost you anything, and could bolster the case against the FDA.
I believe we will prevail, and if not, we should proceed up the ladder to ever higher courts. Except that now the Supreme Court is full of Nazis. But perhaps we can get a good judge at the federal appellate level. They are by and large quite good (I was a litigation paralegal for 15 years in several federal jurisdictions).
Good luck. Is there any possibility of my signing onto the class action as a healthcare practitioner who knows the science behind choosing raw milk over pasteurized and homogenized? I would be happy to! I live in a dairy state, too, and we are working hard here to overturn NY State laws that permit buying raw milk directly from a farm, but not from stores. How ridiculous is THAT?!?! They just want to make it inconvenient. What a shame.
My parents both grew up on farms and drank raw milk fresh from the cows every single day of their life, many times a day. I did, too, when I visited our cousins on their Canadian farms. These anti-raw-milk people haven’t a single decent argument in their favor. It’s all about the corporate bucks.
We follow our traditional Hindu lacto-vegetarian diet. Milk is a very important part of that diet.
The concept of a "sacred cow" comes from our faith. The cow is considered sacred because she is "the mother who gives us milk".
Our ancient texts tell us that food from animals "kept in an unnatural environment is unwholesome" and food from animals that are "fed other than their natural diet is toxic".
So….it seems to me that if the FDA wants to force CAFO milk on my family, the FDA is violating our religious rights.
It’s time to mobilize all the raw milk drinkers in this country….and coordinate a mass campaign of outrage. That the FDA doesn’t believe that we have a right to health, what the hell are the overseeing the food and drugs we take FOR…for the corporations that profit at our expense? (frankly, the FDA is still manned by many of W’s cronies, and it’s obvious that the ‘customers’ that the agency serves aren’t the citizens…). I think that every elected official needs to be called on this and see if they agree with the premise of ‘no inherent right to health’ (gee I guess the Declaration of Independence got missed in these esteemed lawyers education). Scary.
Gary….you should have a field day with this…..at least if the judge had any kind of decent education into the origins of this country.
I’m starting to think that Mark was right about his ‘guns’ thing. If this is what our government really believes, we in far worse shape as a nation, than we think we are.
-Blair
-Blair
Audio interview.
Not something that any of us at the bottom of the food chain want to hear or even believe!!!
I am in full grass roots education mode. I try my best every day to fire up everyone I speak with. I did an interview with Columbia University today. They are writing a paper on Raw Milk and this whole subject. People just do not know.
My CFR 1240.61 FDA "citizens petition" is still unanswered. It was submitted December 2008.
The faster people figuer out that the FDA is involved in corporate drug pushing mass murder. The faster we will have mass upheaval and the oust of the drug pushing corrupt corporate protecting bastards.
Mike Schmidt said it all….This is WAR!!
The body counts are real. Count the bodies from Celebrex, Avandia, VIOXX and Fosamax. There are tens of thousands of dead Americans on just the tip of the iceberg. Count immune depression and antibiotic abuse with MRSA and you can double the death numbers.
On Monday, I get to meet and talk with about 50 movie stars at the George Lopez celebrity golf event in LA. I will find a friend with a connection….guaranteed. Some love OPDC raw milk already.
We will get onto Bill Maher or Oprah with this….you watch. Ryan Seacrest loves this whole subject of unprocessed whole food verses drugs adn highly processed fake fat food.
The supreme court will hear this from Gary Cox….you will see soon enough. The FDA will fail horribly just like they did in Fresno. They can not defend themselves in public. They must stay in the shadows in order to operate.
Mark
I haven’t changed my mind about our right to make out own nutritional choices. I haven’t changed my mind about the goodness and healthiness of nutrient dense foods. I have change my mind on one important part of the equation.
I believed in raw milk consumers. I mean I REALLY believed in raw milk consumers. I though, and still do, that this war would be won ONLY with pressure from those consumers, and I believed consumers would provide that pressure.
I don’t believe that any more. I believe the average raw milk consumer is little different than the Dean Foods consumer, the Con Agri consumer. By their actions the are lazy, poorly informed at best, unwilling to fight even in simple ways for what they CLAIM to want, despite their actions suggesting…no, PROVING…otherwise.
A few months ago I initiated a protest here in GA after the raw milk pourout involving Athens Locally Grown. I planned to go to SC and pick up milk already legally purchased and bring it back to Georgia, and notify authorities I was doing so…and defy them, going to jail if necessary, if they tried to make me pour out the legally purchased milk.
At the time, Gumpy wrote an article on TCP questioning the depth of the initial support, asking if the support were, I believe, "…a mile wide and an inch deep…"
David, at the time I thought you were full of BS, that the support would not be such that it could be described as "an inch deep", and I was right. An inch deep would have been good…no, great…no, fantastic.Instead support has been better described as pouring a pint of milk on a table th size of a football field.
Consumers may care, but not enough to put forth one single iota of effort…they just want to sit back and let others do the heavy lifting for them. They don’t like the government "nanny state", but they still want to be coddled and taken care of by others…by the Michael Schmidts, the Tim Wrightmans, the Gary Coxs, the Steve Bemises, the Pete Kennedys, the David Gumperts (more than you know, David…you are the sanitizing agent of sunshine on the issue)…
BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO DO A DAMN THING FOR THEMSELVES.
Want proof? Go to http://www.JuicyMaters.com and read the Raw Milk Wars articles under Politics. Read the comments…ooops…I forgot…there are hardly any, and I’ve censored NONE.
Out side of some media, the only…ONLY support has been three folks…two who wanted to buy some milk, and Max Kane who wants to drive down and go to SC (and maybe jail) with me.
That’s it. Two people. Eric Waggoner’s folks had 110 gallons poured out…and they care so much that ONE of them wants me to pick up some milk. Sorry Eric, but facts are facts.
You raw milk consumers care? Really…you really care?
Then actually DO something. You read my blog…I see the hits. You read this blog…David would drop it if you didn’t. You "FB friend" WAPF…and KellytheKitchenKop, and Cheeseslave…you read what they write…and then you sit, waiting for others to take care of you.
WANT YOUR RIGHTS? Then get off your butts and fight for them yourselves instead of waiting for others to take care of you. That’s how we got here in th first place.
BH
http://www.JuicyMaters.com
People won’t follow just anyone into a protest. It takes the right combination of circumstances, outrage, and personality to get people to take action. And despite the circumstances and present outrage, your call to arms had a number of things working against it. The cloak and dagger nature of your planned protest was one… saying that you were going to make a milk run sometime in the upcoming couple months and have a pickup spot somewhere within a two-hour radius just wasn’t specific enough. We at Athens Locally Grown saw raw milk move through the system week in and week out for five years very predictably. Another factor is your politics. One thing in particular that stood out for me here was how much support we’ve had on this issue from people of all political beliefs. It’s very apparent where you fall in the political spectrum, and in this climate of divisiveness, that kind of all-or-nothing energy turns many people off. And politics aside, your writing style is also raises warning flags with a number of people. And there were technical challenges with your website too, that we’ve talked about privately.
Again, I’m not saying you should have done things differently, but all those combined made you probably not the right person to be the leader of a local movement. And I don’t think you can blame the population and generalize them all as people who need to be coddled just because they didn’t follow the bugle call of one particular person.
I only wanted to say that I feel your pain. None of us were equipped to be activists but here we are anyway. Keep fighting the good fight, because it is right fight and you will attract the right people to you anyway. You cannot worry much about whether or not you ‘turn people off’. That is not your concern. Just keep going.
Sharon Zecchinelli
How much discussion did it generate in these groups? NONE. They were more interested in swapping recipes and figuring out how to grow their kefir grains.
The Nazis in The White House Story: Part 7
Three Generations of Nazi Spies Since 1930’s
http://www.hoaxofthecentury.com/1930sNaziSpies1.htm