An Amish farmer’s livelihood in Virginia is at risk after the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (VDACS) raided and seized his property.
Samuel B. Fisher of Golden Valley Farms lost his livestock and meat-processing facility in the raid.
“Golden Valley Farms operates a herd-share program,” according to the farm’s website. “A herd share is a contractual agreement between a farmer and an owner of livestock – the shareholder or member – through which the shareholder is able to obtain raw milk, meat, or other profits of the livestock proportionate to the shareholder’s interest in the herd.”
“All of our products are organic, non-GMO, and soy free. The farmer produces food following Weston Price principles, including rotational grazing, no antibiotics or growth hormones, and farming beyond organic standards. We belong to a limited number of milk producers that do not resort to feeding grain to our cows. We believe in providing them with fresh pasture to graze on and chemical-free hay during winter.”
Fisher stated he had “no idea” why the raid occurred.
“They came with a search warrant,” Fisher said to Townhall, noting that he became involved in a legal fight for processing meat onsite and not in a USDA facility.
An estimated $10,000 worth of products were taken away.
Reporting from The Gateway Pundit:
Mindy Hartbecke, the farm’s office manager, pointed out the irony. “Amish people—They don’t follow the rules. That’s the point. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to somebody that an Amish person is not following the rules. They opt out of everything. They don’t send their kids to school. They don’t have to be involved in the [military] draft. They don’t pay into the Social Security system and they don’t receive money from the Social Security system. Why would anybody think it’d be a stretch that he wasn’t getting his meat inspected by the government, too?” Supporters of Fisher argue that consumers should have the right to decide where their meat comes from. They stress that traditional, small-scale farming practices are not just a way of life but also a form of resistance against industrial food systems known for their questionable health impacts.
