Thursday, October 6, 2011

Do we have the right to eat our own food?

I'm going to look into this a bit more, but here's what someone posted on a local group.
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Wisconsin Judge Denies Basic Property Rights and Food Choice
October 4, 2011 by biodynamicsbda

In a striking setback for property rights and consumer choice, a
Wisconsin judge issued an order on September 9 that owners of
cows do not have a fundamental right to consume milk from their
own cows. The order was issued by Dane County Circuit Court
Judge Patrick J. Fielder in response to a motion to clarify an
August 12 ruling denying a motion by the Zinniker Family Farm,
Nourished by Nature LLC (NbN), NbN members Robert Karp and
Gayle Loiselle, and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
<http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/> for a judgment that the
boarding agreement was in compliance with Wisconsin law.

Under the agreement between the Zinnikers and NbN, dairy cows
owned by NbN as an LLC were boarded at the Zinniker Farm. The
cows were owned by the LLC rather than by the Zinnikers, who
simply executed a services contract to board, care for, and milk
the cows for their owners.

Clarifying his original ruling that the plaintiffs did not have a
fundamental right to possess, use, and enjoy their property,
Judge Fielder explained clearly that there are no fundamental
rights to own and use a dairy cow or dairy herd, to consume the
milk from one’s own cows, to board one’s cow at a
farm, or to consume the food of one’s choice. In
addition, Judge Fielder stated that the private contract between
the Zinnikers and NbN falls within the scope of the
State’s police power, that the government has the power
to regulate the private conduct of growing and consuming food.