Vernon Hershberger to Appeal Verdict

Vernon Hershberger, the Wisconsin dairy farmer largely acquitted in May 2013 of four charges stemming from the sale of raw milk, plans to appeal the one count of which he was found guilty.

Hershberger, who provided unpasteurized dairy to members of his buying club, was found not guilty of: operating a farm store without a retail food establishment permit; operating a dairy farm without a milk producer license; operating a dairy plant facility without a license. He was, however, found guilty of violating a hold order that the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection officials placed on his farm’s products during a June 2010 raid.

Hershberger admitted to removing the tape placed on his dairy cases to allow his club members access to their property (the unpasteurized dairy).

“For Vernon, this was an act of civil disobedience,” says Elizabeth Rich, one of Hershberger’s attorneys who is part of a team from the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. “He believed the state was exceeding its authority, and that, as owners, his members had every right to the dairy products from their own cows.”

Wisconsin law allows owners of cows to drink their cow’s milk without licenses, which will be the basis of Hershberger’s appeal.

Read more details about the appeal on the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund website, Farmer Hershberger Seeks Full Vindication.

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