Food Freedom? Government Says, NO! Americans Say YES! Part 2

On February 29, 2024, Americans rallied in front of the Lancaster County Courthouse to support Pennsylvania organic farmer, Amos Miller, who has been providing farm fresh food to members of a private association for over a decade.

The rally’s program included speeches from: Peggy Buhalo, president and co-founder of Patriots for Pennsylvania, Chris Hume of The Lancaster Patriot, Pastor Joel Saint, Sally Fallon Morrell, creator of realmilk.com, Morgan Phelps, who runs a raw milk business and was mentored by Amos Miller, Max Kane, a reporter for The Highwire, Sam Faddis, a leader of a PA Patriot Coalition, and “James”, a health coach who eats all of his food raw.  See the full speeches here.

Peggy Buhalo is concerned about the corruption of our justice system and the attacks on our food supply. She is the president of Patriots for Pennsylvania. She said, “We cannot turn a blind eye to the injustice that is being brought against Mr. Miller and his family. This is a massive government overreach and it jeopardizes the freedoms that our forefathers set in place for us.”

Chris Hume believes our government wants to control every aspect of our lives. He attended the rally as a speaker, but he is known for being the Editor of The Lancaster Patriot. Chris stated, “This has been a long time coming, to let the State know that we don’t need them to tell us what we can eat. Am I right? (Crowd Cheers.) The State wants to control everything about your life. They want to tell you what you can eat or what you can drink. It does not end with Amos Miller. They are coming after each and every one of us. They want control. Amos Miller is the tip of the spear here when it comes to Freedom. If we don’t have the freedom to decide what we eat, what we feed our families with, what freedom do we have?”

Selling Raw Milk Products

Mr. Miller is not allowed to sell any raw milk products to members in PA. He is allowed to sell other food items such as beef, buffalo, poultry and baked goods. Judge Sponaugle’s April 12 ruling allows Mr. Miller to sell his raw milk products to anyone who resides outside the Commonwealth.

There has never been a food recalled from Mr. Miller’s farm. Even though there has been over a dozen big food processor products recalled since Mr. Miller’s case started, the PA Department of Agriculture (PDA) has not conducted search warrants or raids on these food processors. When Mr. Miller was raided people were prevented from watching the search, including a member of the press. Mr. Barnes is requesting a copy of the police body cam footage from the raid on Mr. Miller’s farm.

If Mr. Miller obtained a raw milk permit he would be prohibited from selling most of his raw milk products. The permit only allows the sale of raw milk and raw hard cheese. Mr. Miller makes raw butter, colostrum, butter, yogurt smoothies and more. These products are consumed by members who claim it benefits their health. Mr. Barnes stated Mr. Miller’s case is focused on informed consent – being allowed to make an informed decision on what food products you consume. He does see how some people may view this case as a way to limit government control, which is important too.

Mr. Barnes asked, “Did you know if you go to the hospital sick and if they suspect it is a food borne illness, your medical records are handed over to government agencies? I don’t remember consenting to that – so much for privacy or medical autonomy.”

Legal Implications

The Amish don’t believe in suing. Mr. Barnes said, “PDA thought they could get away with it – not realizing they were violating other people’s constitutional interests.”  If you suffer monetary damages against the State, you will not be reimbursed for them because the State is immune to paying out monetary damages.

Mr. Barnes filed a petition challenging the food destruction order. This order would force Mr. Miller to destroy his inventory, which would hurt him financially, and it would deny members products they wish to consume. The order cannot be enforced until the court rules on the petition. Mr. Barnes feels the order is unlawful because none of Mr. Miller’s products have proven to be unfit for human consumption.

Those who attended the February 29 court proceeding were prevented from keeping their notes.  The shepherdess stated a sheriff went around collecting all written notes taken during the proceeding.  Mr. Barnes said this is illegal. He thinks the PA Courts like to keep proceedings secretive, which is inconsistent with our first amendment. Pennsylvania is supposed to have open courts. Mr Barnes thinks it would have been good if the public could have seen the court proceedings live, especially PDA’s witnesses.

The following have been filed with the Courts: a motion to stay injunction, a notice of appeal, a petition to fight the food destruction order, and a federal civil rights claim.

Robert Barnes, Attorney for Amos Miller, was interviewed by independent journalist, the Shepherdess. She has given written permission for The Liberty Lens to publish the interview. Watch the full interview:

Citizens are helping with Amos Miller’s defense through a fundraiser at GiveSendGo .

• Free America Law Center – co-founded by Mr. Barnes – currently focusing on Amos’ case.
• Sign up for Mr. Miller’s membership; purchase products he is allowed to sell.

Stay tuned… The rest of the Amos Miller series will be released soon:

• Part 3: Customer Testimonials
• Part 4: Interview with the Food Freedom Rally organizer

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