State staff, together with members of the Pennsylvania State Police, raided Amos Miller’s Lancaster County farm Thursday, reportedly because of an investigation into the farmer’s supposed violations of state meals security codes.
The raid was carried out below the authority of the Pennsylvania Division of Agriculture, together with the state police, in keeping with the Lancaster Patriot.
Miller, the farmer, has been concerned in an extended dispute with each the state and federal governments over meals and meat inspection and well being safety pointers after officers have accused him of promoting harmful meals that doesn’t meet inspection requirements.
Pennsylvania officers declare that they have been contacted by public well being officers in New York and Michigan about diseases reported in minors who ate the uncooked milk merchandise bought by Miller, Lancaster Online reported.
The search warrant, dated Jan. 3, that the Pennsylvania well being brokers served on Miller “sought, amongst different issues, unlawful uncooked milk and uncooked milk merchandise, together with eggnog,” the media outlet mentioned.
The company added, “Miller has by no means licensed his retail operation.”
The state additionally claims that incidents of sickness date again to 2016, and the latest case was Dec. 19.
On high of that, authorities implied that one particular person died because of consuming food bought from Miller.
“[T]he Meals and Drug Administration mentioned it recognized listeria in samples of Miller’s uncooked milk and located it to be genetically just like the micro organism in two individuals who developed listeriosis — one among whom died — after consuming uncooked milk,” Lancaster On-line reported.
Sheri Morris, performing bureau director of meals security with the Pennsylvania Division of Agriculture, was reportedly notified by the New York State Well being Division about “a confirmed optimistic case of a foodborne pathogen (STEC – Shiga toxin producing E. Coli) in an underage particular person” who supposedly consumed meals gadgets bought by Miller, the Lancaster Patriot reported.
Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie blasted the raid in a publish on social media platform X.
“With the entire issues in society as we speak, that is what the federal government desires to concentrate on?” Massie wrote, including, “A person rising meals for knowledgeable clients, with out collaborating within the industrial meat/milk advanced?”
“It’s shameful that it’s come to this,” he railed.
Seems to be like Amos Miller’s farm is being raided.
With the entire issues in society as we speak, that is what the federal government desires to concentrate on?
A person rising meals for knowledgeable clients, with out collaborating within the industrial meat/milk advanced?
It’s shameful that it’s come to this. https://t.co/pWwjp6cgPh
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 4, 2024
Massie has been lively in trying to craft legislation to permit farmers to promote farm merchandise on to customers with out being regulated by state and federal officers.
For his half, Miller, whose farm has been raided earlier than, has claimed the rights of a “sovereign citizen” to promote his merchandise to whomever he desires. He has cited the flexibility of adults to purchase his merchandise in the event that they wish to, Lancaster On-line added. And he’s additionally citing his Amish faith and his proper to freedom of faith below the U.S. Structure.
“Sovereign citizen adherents consider within the legally baseless assertion that people, and never courts or lawmakers, can resolve what legal guidelines to comply with,” Lancaster On-line defined.
Miller’s lawyer, Robert Barnes, issued an announcement in regards to the authorities’ try to power Miller into compliance, the Patriot reported.
“At this time, the Division of Agriculture of the State of Pennsylvania all of the sudden got here, with out discover, raided Amos’ farm, and detained all the things Amos had within the farm’s freezer. They did so in a lawless method, with out applicable authority, in violation of their very own guidelines and rules, regardless of by no means objecting to the prior resolutions reached with the federal authorities, and regardless of an entire failure by the state to even attain out to Amos’ recognized counsel,” Barnes mentioned.
“The state’s personal guidelines require advance discover, cheap time frames for inspections, and a displaying of credentials, none of which occurred right here. As an alternative, the state unlawfully obtained a search warrant, based mostly on materially false statements in an affidavit by a high-ranking state official in an company with a recognized grievance in opposition to unbiased farmers like Amos, and, after the raid and discovering no proof of wrongdoing, then illegally ordered detained each merchandise of meals in one among Amos Miller’s coolers, together with buffalo meat not even topic to federal regulation,” Barnes added.
“The detention order is patently unlawful below Pennsylvania legislation. Regardless of the fixed harassment, Amos will proceed to do all he legally can to offer the meals his members deeply want. Amos thanks you on your continued assist at this vital time for meals freedom in America,” the lawyer concluded.
The state of affairs is actually a sophisticated one. Adults completely ought to have the freedom to make offers with farmers straight and skip processing vegetation and large meals producers in the event that they so need. However state officers even have a accountability to keep up security for the general public. It’s a thorny difficulty, particularly when minors develop into concerned.
Ultimately, the federal government should do not forget that Individuals have a proper to take care of whomever they want. But when Miller’s chemical-free natural meals have been as harmful as officers say, one would assume he wouldn’t have any clients left after so a few years of being focused as a public menace.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
