Outspoken Dairy Farmer Connected to Sheep Farm Raid

Aug 08, 2012

Ontario Dairy Farmer Michael Schmidt Faces More Controversy

Already making headlines as an advocate and proponent of unpasteurized or raw milk, Ontario dairy farmer Michael Schmidt is back in the news again. This time, Schmidt allegedly has a connection to a flock of sheep that went missing from an Eastern Ontario farm, where the animals had been under quarantine after two cases of scrapie, (a neurological disease that affects sheep and goats) were confirmed in one deceased sheep; and later, one other sheep was found on the same farm in Northumberland County.

The quarantined sheep went missing from Wholearth Farmstudio, a farm operated by Linda “Montana” Jones, which is a special farm that aims to protect the genetics of heritage livestock – in this case, rare Shropshire sheep. After the first case of scrapie was identified, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) decided to destroy the entire flock at Jones’ farm in order to limit the potential for the disease to spread to other flocks.

The quarantined sheep were illegally removed from Jones’ farm on April 2 2012 and in a statement made Tuesday, the CFIA confirmed that search warrants were executed with regards to the ongoing investigation into the missing sheep. Police and officials from CFIA raided several farm operations with alleged connections to the missing quarantined sheep, including Michael Schmidt’s farm in Durham, Ontario. The other warrants were issued for the properties of Robert Pinnell and Miro Malish.

In June 2012, most of the missing sheep were found on a farm belonging to Miro Malish, just south of Owen Sound, which is about 300 km from where the sheep originally went missing. Malish’s farm is also located about half an hour away from Michael Schmidt’s property. Linda Jones also had her operation raided. Schmidt claims the agency seized cell phones and computers from his Durham farm last Thursday.

Schmidt has declined to comment on the allegations, citing legal reasons, but did add that the evidence was “fabricated” to justify the slaughter of the sheep. “We’re destroying a gene pool here,’’ Schmidt said. According to Linda Jones’ website, she was “alarmed that despite lab results proving her entire flock tested negative for scrapie, CFIA officials have decided to depopulate all of her beloved . . . sheep.”

58 year old Schmidt was convicted in 2011 on 13 offences of selling raw, unpasteurized milk – which is illegal under Canadian health regulations.

Video: Environmental Effects on Sow Fertility - Dr. Isabela Bez

In this special episode celebrating International Women's Day of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, we bring Dr. Isabela Bez, a veterinarian and PhD student in Brazil, who explains how temperature and light regimes influence sow reproductive performance. She discusses seasonal infertility, climate adaptation, and why environmental monitoring inside barns is critical for herd efficiency. The episode highlights practical management strategies to reduce reproductive losses and improve outcomes. Listen now on all major platforms. "Environmental factors are actually very important on sow reproduction, and sometimes these are the factors that producers tend to not pay attention." Meet the guest: Dr. Isabela Bez / isabela-cristina-cola%c3%a7o-bez-1753381b0 is a veterinarian and PhD student in Animal Science at Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), Brazil. Her work focuses on swine reproduction, nutrition, and animal welfare, with strong expertise in environmental effects on sow performance. She collaborates with international farms and research groups to improve reproductive efficiency through applied science.