Government raids independent farmer who defied USDA

Government authorities Thursday raided a Pennsylvania farm belonging to Amos Miller, an Amish farmer who sells food without being licensed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Seven USDA operatives and three Pennsylvania State Troopers stormed Miller’s dairy farm in Lancaster County on Thursday after obtaining a search warrant. They left hours later after confiscating 37 edible items including eggnog, sour cream, chocolate milk, and ice cream. Before leaving, the officials also placed a ban on the sale of many products that remain in Miller’s inventory representing a significant portion of his business.

According to the Lancaster Patriot, the warrant was obtained by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Acting Bureau Director of Food Safety Sheri Morris after two reports of underage consumers who allegedly consumed Miller’s products and fell ill from Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli (STEC). In her affidavit, Morris emphasized that Miller had not filed applications “for registration, licensing, or permitting under the pertinent Retail Food Facility Safety Act, Food Safety Act, or Milk Sanitation Laws.”

In a statement following the raid, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture also asserted that “Miller has never licensed his retail operation.”

Miller sells his products to a private buying club of approximately 4,000 consumers across the country who pay top dollar for more nutritious options without chemical preservatives. His products are not sold in grocery stores.

The raid sparked an uproar from taxpayers who saw it as another attempt by authorities to bring food distribution under sole government control.

“Looks like Amos Miller’s farm is being raided,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said. “With all of the problems in society today, this is what the government wants to focus on? A man growing food for informed customers, without participating in the industrial meat/milk complex? It’s shameful that it’s come to this.”

A crowdfunding campaign set up for Miller on GiveSendGo after the incident set a goal of $150,000 to save the farmer’s business. Within three days it raised over $86,000.

Miller’s attorney Robert Barnes called the raid “illegal” and “lawless.”

“The state’s own rules require advance notice, reasonable time frames for inspections, and a showing of credentials, none of which occurred here,” Barnes said in a statement. “Instead, the state unlawfully obtained a search warrant, based on materially false statements in an affidavit by a high-ranking state official in an agency with a known grievance against independent farmers like Amos, and, after the raid and finding no evidence of wrongdoing, then illegally ordered detained every item of food in one of Amos Miller’s coolers, including buffalo meat not even subject to federal regulation. The detention order is patently illegal under Pennsylvania law.”

In addition to his dairy line, Miller also sells organic meat which has also been targeted by the federal government.

In 2021 the USDA initiated legal action against Miller for the sale of “adulterated meat,” a term used to describe food that has not undergone the USDA’s prescribed chemical treatments. It is mandatory for all processing plants regulated by the USDA to use synthetic preservatives in their food products. 

“Often they use citric acid, which you’d think comes from oranges or lemons, but it’s a modified substance made from corn . . . and they don’t even have to label it on the meat,” Miller said last year, according to Return to Now. “Our members don’t want any of that,” he added. “They want fresh, raw meat, with no additives. Our members want it straight from the farm with no preservatives on it.” 

In addition to its other regulations, the USDA prohibits licensed processing plants from selling specific organs that Miller claims are rich in nutrients and have potential health benefits. 

Moreover, the USDA’s licensing procedure and associated expenses provide significant barriers for small-scale farmers. 

“The rules and regulations are such that you have to get into debt $100,000 before you ever sell your first pound of meat, and the market’s not guaranteed,” Miller said. “There’s no option for farmers to start small and add on and buy equipment as they can.” 

Last year federal authorities initiated legal action against Miller, compelling him to provide access to his premises, meat and poultry inventories, records, employees, and other personnel for inspection. Upon his refusal to “fully cooperate,” as the court-appointed inspector claimed, Miller’s facility was raided by US Marshals who were granted the power to employ “reasonable force,” which included “the authority to break open locks, to remove barriers to entry, and physically to remove persons from the Premises.” 

The court levied a $300,000 fine on Miller to reimburse the US Marshals for their executed raid and cover the investigative costs of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The court requested a payment of $50,000 within a week, emphasizing the need of acting in good faith. 

However, Miller, with Barnes’ assistance, achieved a victory in the US Court of Appeals. This resulted in the case being placed in a state of stay and abeyance, granting the farmer the ability to persist in selling his stockpiled meat until a final resolution is reached. The court, in a display of discernment, reduced Miller’s fine to a more manageable sum of $55,000, allowing for payment to be made over a period of six months.