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NEWMARKET, ONT. — Ontario raw milk producer Michael Schmidt has been fined a total of $55,000 by a judge after being found guilty in October of contempt of court charges.
The judge fined Mr. Schmidt $5,000 on the charges and told him he had to pay $50,000 in court costs incurred by York Region in prosecuting him.
It was $3,000 less than the prosecution had been seeking.
The decision was faxed to the Owen Sound-area farmer on Tuesday.
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Mr. Schmidt told Bayshore Broadcasting news he has no intention of paying the fine or the court costs.
Mr. Schmidt has run a co-operative organic dairy farm for more than 20 years.
York Region officials accused him of selling or distributing the product, even after a court order not to do so.
Selling raw, or unpasteurized, milk is illegal in Canada because health officials say it carries the risks of spreading salmonella, E. coli and listeria.
Mr. Schmidt defended himself in the case, saying he was saving his money for a big court case in the new year.
Early next year, Mr. Schmidt will stand trial on 20 charges laid by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Grey-Bruce Health Unit.
Mr. Schmidt pointed out he had been found guilty of contempt of court, even though his actual case on selling raw milk hadn't been heard in court.
He said it's up to the court to decide what to do next, because he won't pay the fine, a defiant attitude he showed after his conviction in October.
He vowed on the steps of the Newmarket court to continue to sell raw milk.
“Yes, we will continue with what we're doing,” Mr. Schmidt said as he and several supporters made a show of chugging back glasses of milk.
He also went on to liken himself to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
“When Gandhi picked up the salt, he kept marching, and when Martin Luther started the Montgomery bus strike, he kept going until the law was changed,” Mr. Schmidt said.
Raw milk advocates have claimed they drink it for its flavour, organic properties and health benefits.
Justice Cary Boswell said at the time that his ruling had nothing to do with whether or not people have the right to consume raw milk, but rather whether Mr. Schmidt knowingly defied the court order to stop selling it.
The judge cited news articles in which Mr. Schmidt admitted he sold the milk and that he knew the consequence of ignoring a court order as the basis for his finding of guilt.
