***WI - ACTION ALERT***

Wisconsin Raw Milk Activist Wins Important Court Victory

April 20, 2010--Washington, D.C.--The state of Wisconsin's motion to compel Max Kane, a raw milk activist, to reveal the identities of farmers and consumers involved in private transactions was denied yesterday by the Honorable Judge Michael Rosenborough. The judge had the option of ruling Max Kane in contempt of court for his silence, but instead allowed the case proceed to the appellate court.

Since December Kane has lived under a court order to provide information sought by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's (DATCP) attorneys. On March 18, with the aid of attorney Elizabeth Rich, Kane filed a motion for a stay of that order in the Vernon County Court House in Viroqua, Wisconsin. His request for relief pending appeal, was heard Monday.

The judge granted the motion.

On four occasions, in hearings and depositions, attorneys for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have tried to extract information from Max to aid them in targeting a number of small family dairy farms they suspect of selling raw milk.

Incidental sales of raw milk from the farm are legal in Wisconsin, however a new, strict interpretation of the law by DATCP amounts to a virtual ban on sales. Last year, the agency decided that an incidental sale is a one-time sale, meaning that if a dairy were to sell the milk to the same customer twice they would be breaking the law.

Today's victory will allow Max's case to be heard in an appellate court. He is currently working on his appellate brief with legal counsel.

Ultimately, Max hopes to obtain a Supreme Court verdict on the civil liberty of unregulated farm-to-consumer direct trade.

More and more, health minded consumers are seeking out traditional foods from farms that employ ancient wisdom, such as pasture raising of chickens, 100 percent grass feeding of livestock and composting and manure of vegetable garden beds. The Weston A. Price Foundation is among the non-profit organizations helping to educate consumers of the health benefits of foods raised by these methods.

"Organic standards, especially those certified by the government, are compromised to the point of meaninglessness," says Sally Fallon Morell President of the Foundation. "We don't believe modern  standards are effective in producing the vital nutrition we expect from our food. And raw milk raised using these methods is a supremely healthy foods that should be available to those who want it."

The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), is a nutrition education non-profit, based in Washington, DC, with 400 local chapters, worldwide. WAPF advocates a return to organic farming, pasture-fed livestock and whole traditional foods, properly prepared, if modern man is to regain health and vitality. The Foundation also promotes the benefits of an economy based on small scale organic production and food processing that returns added value to the independent farmer, rather than to large-scale food processing conglomerates.

Media Contact: Kimberly Hartke, Publicist 703-860-2711, cell 703-675-5557  [email protected]

If you'd like to support Max, please consider sending a donation to help Max with his legal bills. Visit his website RawmilkParty.com