O’Driscoll's Milk War opens FLIKS Festival
By Nelson Daily Staff
FLIKS (Film Lovers In the KootneayS) opens the Canadian FLIKS Festival on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. with one of three films in the festival produced by local filmmakers.
Milk War, a documentary produced by former Nelsonite and theatre personality Declan O’Driscoll, tells the story of dairy farmer Michael Schmidt whose small farm north of Toronto was raided by 20 armed officers. They weren’t looking for drugs or guns. They were there for the milk — raw milk.
Since the early 1990s Schmidt had been using rigid biodynamic agriculture methods to produce and sell unpasturised milk (a federal offense since 1991).
Schmidt’s cooperative venture called “cow sharing” has enthusiastic customers buy shares in a cow, and their dividends are paid out in the form of raw, organic, unpasturised milk.
Supporters say Schmidt’s biodynamic agriculture methods produce a healthier, superior product that is just as safe as its heated counterpart, pasteurized milk.
Schmidt’s arrest set off a public debate on the power of the $12-billion dairy industry, the challenges facing small farmers, and the growing public unease about how our food is processed.
To Schmidt, this is about the fundamental right “to eat what we want.”
Milk War will be followed by a question and answer session with O’Driscoll and CJLY’s Deconstructing Dinner host Jon Steinman.
For more details and links to the film’s website go to www.fliks.ca.
