TORONTO - Ontario's infamous raw milk crusader returns to court Monday and says he's confident he can defend himself without a lawyer against charges related to an armed police raid on his farm in 2006.
Michael Schmidt says he knows the old expression that anyone who represents themselves in court has a fool for a client.
But he still feels completely prepared to argue that people should have the right to drink and enjoy raw, unpasteurized milk if they choose.
For years Schmidt has been selling raw milk from his Durham, Ont., farm through a so-called "cow share" program, in which people buy a share in one of his cows, rather than the milk itself.
Schmidt faces charges in connection with an undercover investigation into his farm and milk production, which culminated with a raid by more than two-dozen police officers on his property.
The sale of raw milk is banned across the country and Health Canada says it's dangerous to drink because it could contain bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria.
But raw milk advocates say it's actually good for you and Schmidt notes Canada is the only G7 country to ban its sale for safety reasons.
Schmidt says he doesn't consider himself to a be a martyr for the cause but will continue to fight the government's attack on raw milk.
"The government is trying to regulate every aspect of our lives and I think people are waking up to that and saying no, it stops here," he said.
"When it comes to our own body and what we put in our body as food, the government should respect what people want to do."
