Minnesota raw milk dairy farmer Michael O. Hartmann pled guilty on Oct. 15 to two misdemeanor counts: illegally selling raw milk and raw milk products, and selling other foods such as beef and pork without a proper license. The two counts Hartmann pleaded guilty to were part of a nine-count complaint which alleged that he had continued selling unpasteurized milk and other dairy products, as well as unlicensed meat products, despite an embargo and other state actions forbidding him to do so.

Hartmann was fined $585, placed on six months unsupervised probation and ordered to comply with all state licensing and labeling laws within 60 days, The Journal of New Ulm reported.

Charges and warrants for Hartmann’s wife, Diane, his brother Roger, and a woman who allegedly helped distribute his products were dismissed.

Assistant Sibley County Attorney Don Lannoye said his office didn’t charge Hartmann with felonies because he didn’t believe Hartmann intentionally harmed anyone.

Had Hartmann not pled guilty to the two charges, he would have gone to trial Nov. 13 on all nine counts of improper food sales.

Mark McAfee, co-owner of California-based raw milk dairy Organic Pastures, told Food Safety News that “Minnesota raw milk laws are not laws that can be defended," given the fact that raw milk has met strict food safety state standards in other states, such as California.

Hartmann still faces a lawsuit in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

That case was filed by a parent who says his 2-year-old boy suffered permanent kidney damage from E. coli-contaminated raw milk from Hartmann’s dairy. The lawsuit is seeking more than $50,000 for dialysis and other costs to treat the boy, according to an article in The Journal.

In another Hennepin County case, Alvin Schlangen was recently acquitted on charges of violating the state’s restrictions on raw milk sales. (Click here to read more about Schlangen's case.) PD

—From Food Safety News (Click here to read the full article.)