Republicans on social media are rallying behind an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania who suffered a police raid last month for selling milk in violation of government regulations.
Amos Miller argues that he sells his products only to his "private membership association" and not to the public, exempting him from government regulations. However, the state's agriculture department alleges that his products have been connected to E. coli outbreaks in two other states.
Those reports led to a raid of Miller's farm in early January, followed by a lawsuit from the agriculture department.
Lawyers for Miller have countered, saying the raid was justified by reports of a 2016 death supposedly linked to Miller's products.
"The problem is: it never happened," attorney Robert Barnes wrote in a court filing last week, according to Lancaster Online. "In fact, the elderly lady who died had advanced cancer, and never drank any raw milk product of Amos Miller’s, as her caretaker testified to under oath and a former Wall Street Journal reporter had already previously investigated and independently found."
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., condemned the raid as "shameful" in January, arguing it was a classic example of government overreach.
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"It's a shame that small farmers have been pushed into these situations by overbearing government regulatory agencies and lawmakers captured by corporations and monopolies," he told Newsweek in a statement on Wednesday.
"I support all small farmers and consumers who wish to engage in voluntary transactions. It's imperative that Congress take up my PRIME Act to ameliorate the plight of small farmers like Amos," he added.
Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in on X, sharing a video of the police raid and condemning Pennsylvania for going after "farmers selling to their neighbors."
Not all Republicans are siding with Miller, however. State Rep. Dave Zimmerman, who represents nearby Lancaster County, argues that Miller is not above the law.
"Let me be very clear, I'm 100% against government overreach and have spent much of my time in the legislature fighting overregulation," he wrote in a Jan. 17 statement. "I also recognize that while limiting the government is critical, some government is necessary."
"Mr. Miller’s case is not about the buying and selling of raw products as some have suggested – many farmers throughout the state sell raw products. I can go to a local farm right now to purchase raw products. There are many farmers with roadside stands right here in Lancaster County who sell raw products. Mr. Miller’s case is about following basic agriculture regulations that every other farmer in the state is subject to for the production of safe food. Is it too much to ask for farmers to follow these basic requirements to ensure food safety?" he asked.
"Is the solution to simply ignore Mr. Miller and allow him to violate basic regulations that all other farmers must follow? That would certainly not be fair to other farmers," he said.
Miller's defense against the state lawsuit is ongoing, but authorities have placed hundreds of products in Miller's farm store under a detention order pending the result of the litigation.
