A judge has handed Durham area raw milk producer Michael Schmidt a nine thousand dollar fine, on 15 counts related to the sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk.
The sentence was handed down in a packed Newmarket courtroom Friday.
Schmidt tells Bayshore Broadcasting News he has no intention of every paying the fine.
In fact, Michael Schmidt is already moving to appeal the fine and his sentence of one year probation on the charges.
Constitutional lawyer Karen Sellick will be handling the appeal and says she is not surprised by the ruling today.
However, Sellick says she was surprised when the Crown asked for a fine of 15 thousand 400 dollars, when she says they must have spent over one million dollars fighting Schmidt in the court system.
The five year long saga over raw milk started with Schmidt’s farm being raided in November 2006 by the O-P-P and officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The Health Protection and Promotion Act makes it illegal to sell unpasteurized milk in Canada because it’s considered a health hazard — but it is legal to drink it.
Back in September, Justice Peter Tetley overturned 15 of 19 acquittals Schmidt had received in a lower court last year, which led to the sentencing Friday.
