A court in Pennsylvania dropped an injunction against an Amish farmer, who suffered a police raid last month for selling milk in violation of government regulations, but blocked them from selling raw milk to the public.
County Judge Thomas Sponaugle ruled on Friday that the injunction against Amos Miller’s farm was lifted following a battle with the state’s agriculture department and Attorney General Michelle Henry.
The lawsuit alleged that Miller’s raw milk products had been connected to E. coli outbreaks in two other states.
Those reports led to a raid of Miller’s farm in early January, followed by a lawsuit from the agriculture department.
CONSERVATIVES RALLY BEHIND PENNSYLVANIA AMISH FARMER WHO SUFFERED FROM POLICE RAID OVER MILK SALES
The lawsuit alleged that raw milk products had been connected to E. coli outbreaks. (iStock)
Following the hearing, the judge ruled that Miller is allowed to sell his farm’s raw to “immediate family,” but is blocked from marketing and selling their products to the public.
The judge also ruled that Miller’s farm must allow the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to “inspect, draw records, draw samples [and] conduct tests.”
“This court cannot ignore this Commonwealth’s regulations requiring a permit to sell raw milk,” the ruling said.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite / File)
Retail sale of raw milk is illegal in 23 states, and producing it in Pennsylvania requires a license.
“For years, this business has brushed off efforts to bring its commercial farm operation into compliance with the law — as all commercial farms are required to do,” Henry argued at the filing of the lawsuit.
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Following the farm’s raid and the lawsuit, some Republicans condemned the raid on Miller’s farm.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., condemned the raid as “shameful” in January, arguing it was a classic example of government overreach.
“It’s a shame that small farmers have been pushed into these situations by overbearing government regulatory agencies and lawmakers captured by corporations and monopolies,” he told Newsweek in a statement on Wednesday.
“I support all small farmers and consumers who wish to engage in voluntary transactions. It’s imperative that Congress take up my PRIME Act to ameliorate the plight of small farmers like Amos,” he added.
Donald Trump Jr. (Melissa Sue Gerrits / Getty Images / File)
Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in on X, sharing a video of the police raid and condemning Pennsylvania for going after “farmers selling to their neighbors.”
“Imagine what law enforcement could accomplish if they went after oh I don’t know, say, members of elite pedophile rings rather than farmers selling to their neighbors?,” Trump Jr. wrote in an X post.
The Pennsylvania state border. (iStock)
Not all Republicans sided with Miller, however.
State Rep. Dave Zimmerman, a Republican who represents nearby Lancaster County and a member of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee, argued that Miller is not above the law.
“Let me be very clear, I’m 100% against government overreach and have spent much of my time in the legislature fighting overregulation,” he wrote in a Jan. 17 statement. “I also recognize that while limiting the government is critical, some government is necessary.”
“Mr. Miller’s case is not about the buying and selling of raw products as some have suggested — many farmers throughout the state sell raw products. I can go to a local farm right now to purchase raw products. There are many farmers with roadside stands right here in Lancaster County who sell raw products. Mr. Miller’s case is about following basic agriculture regulations that every other farmer in the state is subject to for the production of safe food. Is it too much to ask for farmers to follow these basic requirements to ensure food safety?” he asked.
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“Is the solution to simply ignore Mr. Miller and allow him to violate basic regulations that all other farmers must follow? That would certainly not be fair to other farmers,” he said.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
