You probably know him better as the raw-milk man who has fought long, hard and now hungrily for the right to distribute the white stuff straight from the cow’s udder (with some additional cooling and filtering). In 2010, vindication was nigh when a judge ruled in favour of the raw milk cause, but last week, that verdict was reversed by the Ontario Court of Appeal, and Schmidt went on a second hunger strike. We tracked him down at his Grey County farm to talk dairy.
Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. I can’t imagine you’re feeling that personable after over a week of only water and one glass of milk per day. [Ed. note: Schmidt switched to water and lemon juice on day 10.]
Actually, I feel fine. No problem. My wife says I’m a little crankier than usual, but I guess that’s to be expected.
Are you sort of at the coasting stage or does each day get harder?
I’m definitely coasting now. Days two, three and four are really hard because the body is adjusting. Once it realizes you won’t be giving it any food it starts eating itself. The tough part is any kind of physical activity that I might normally do. Like chopping wood. I get my son to do that for now.
How much weight have you lost?
So far, 22 pounds in 12 days.
You should trademark the Michael Schmidt Miracle Milk Diet. I imagine you eat pretty healthy otherwise though, right?
Yes, I have a pretty healthy diet and I’m a measured eater. I think that has helped, because my body was more prepared for the deprivation than others might be.
For people who haven’t been following it, can you explain the raw milk movement? My impression is that your cause is about much more than milk.
It’s really more about the right to informed choice, so it’s largely a political issue. I’m not trying to convince everyone else to drink raw milk. I just think that people who want to should have that right. You don’t see the government banning the sale of sliced meat, even though 22 people died during the lysteria outbreak. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Any idea why raw milk gets such a bad rap?
The government will pull out data from the 1930s regarding children who got sick from unpasteurized milk. As if the sanitation standards might not have had something to do with it! Back then you milked the cow into a bucket, you sneezed in the bucket, there were flies and heat and when the cow shits, that probably got in the bucket, too.
But the process is a little more hygienic today, right?
Of course. At my farm, the milk goes directly into a glass container, then it gets transported via stainless-steel pipe to the milk parlour, where it is cooled and filtered. We do testing and daily dairy inspections. Regulating is an important part of the process. Just think—if we didn’t regulate drivers with traffic signs, a lot of people would die on the road. That doesn’t mean that cars are a bad thing.
According to the current law, it is legal to drink unpasteurized milk, but it’s not legal to distribute it. Do you feel a little like a dairy drug dealer?
It is exactly the same as the laws on marijuana. You can go ahead and consume all you like—just don’t sell it to anyone.
Before this latest round of legal woes, you had found a pretty clever way to circumvent the laws. Can you explain?
Back in Germany I started a program called cow sharing, where consumers of raw milk could share ownership of a cow. It’s different because there, [where raw milk is legal], the project was about closing the gap between the people in the country who produce food and the people in the city who consume it—more of a social experiment. When I arrived in Canada in 1983, there was a huge demand for raw milk, but only the owner of the cow could consume it. I realized that cow sharing could solve that.
But the government disagreed?
In 2006, 25 armed officers raided my farm as if it was a meth lab. We were herded into the kitchen, and we weren’t allowed to use the washroom without an officer. They took all of the dairy products. That was when I started my first hunger strike. The goal then was to prompt talks with the government, and also to get my cheese-making equipment back. I lasted for four weeks.
I didn’t know a person could go that long without food. Why did you stop?
To be honest, neither did I. I sort of regret stopping before my demands were met. What happened was that a lot of celebrated local chefs like Jamie Kennedy and Michael Stadtländer came on side. They said they would support me, but only if I started eating again. My lawyer said the same thing.
You have a rather distinct fashion sense. Where do you get your clothing from?
I get a lot of it from nearby Mennonite farms. Except my vests—I special order those from the States.
Given your hunger strike, I have to ask you a sensitive final question: Are you willing to die for milk?
I’m not going to answer that. I’m taking this day-by-day. But I’ll say that I am willing to go all the way.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Skim milk or homo?
Neither.
Strawberry or chocolate?
Strawberry.
Favourite holiday?
A trip to Cuba.
Desert island album?
Bach.
Most dreaded farm chore?
I love them all.
Favourite fictional farmer?
Old MacDonald.
Personal hero?
Martin Luther King.
