Minnesota Farmer, Alvin Schlangen, Convicted in Second Trial
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August 29, 2013Alvin Schlangen, a Minnesota farmer who was charged with five criminal misdemeanors relating to the handling and distribution of food, was found guilty on August 15th of all five counts. This is Schlangen’s second jury trial relating to violations of the state’s food and dairy code; he was previously charged and acquitted of three similar charges in a neighboring county in September 2012.
Schlangen’s second trial ended with the jury finding him guilty of five charges: operating without a food handlers’ license; storing eggs at temperatures above the mandated 45 degrees; distributing adulterated or misbranded food; violating a food embargo; selling custom processed meat. The charges carried penalties of up to 15 months in jail and $5,000 in fines, but the prosecution chose to sentence him only on the first count. Schlangen was ordered to pay $1,000 in fines ($700 of which is suspended) and given a 90-day jail term (also suspended with one year probation). If Schlangen violates his sentence, he will be sent to jail and forced to pay the balance of $700 in fines.
Schlangen runs a private buying club, Freedom Farms Co-op, which provides its members with farm-fresh products including organic eggs and raw milk. Interestingly, just before the trial the prosecution decided to remove the specific charge of selling/distributing raw milk from the criminal complaint.
Raw milk advocates aren’t sure whether to view this trial’s outcome as a qualified loss or a measured victory. “Did we win? Is it a loss? I don’t know, you tell me,” says Nathan Hansen, Schlangen’s attorney.
Read more about the trial and its outcome here:
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1 Comment
This is old news along with new info. Kimberly does a great job of getting to the truth:) Along with the new interference in the Twin City Foodie access to real food comes the continued disappointment in the bureaucracy that does not recognize our right to access safe and nutrient-dense food or the capacity to grow that food – this only works when foodie and farmer/gardener are intimately connected both for purpose and economics! It must be obvious by now that we are part of an awareness revolution that has made the connection to natural health and the mentality and energy that it brings:) Change is coming, B the change. Bringing ethics back to our communities instead of yet more commercial regulations that play politics with big AG/PHARM/BANKS. Being interdependently healthy will be the next milestone in human evolution, back to nature:) Join me! I send any/everyone to http://www.farmmatch.com to match your required quality standards with the direct source. Challenge/Solution:) Be well, Alvin in MN