California Herdshare Dairy and Goat Owners File Suit Against CDFA

By FTCLDF

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund on behalf of its California members, San Jose goat farmers Mike and Jane Hulme and San Jose goat owners Ian Gerbode, Sara-Jane Skiwski and Sarah Sullivan, has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the County of Santa Clara.

The suit, filed July 22 in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, asks for a declaration by the court that Gerbode, Skiwski and Sullivan have the inalienable right to purchase, own, possess and use a goat, that they have the inalienable right to consume the raw milk produced by their goat and a declaration that they have the inalienable right to contract with the Hulmes to board, care for and milk their goats.

Update on Morningland Cheese Trial

By Pete Kennedy
Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund

On January 11-12, 2010, a trial was held at the Howell County Courthouse in West Plains, Missouri, to determine whether approximately 29,000 pounds of cheese held at the facility of Morningland of the Ozarks, LLC (d/b/a Morningland Dairy) should be destroyed despite no reports of illness. Morningland’s entire inventory of cheese has been under embargo since August 26, 2010.