LANCASTER, Pa. — Update, March 1: The Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas has released a decision regarding Amos Miller's preliminary injunction hearing.
The decision reads that the injunction filed on Jan. 24 has been terminated by the court. However, Miller's Farm must not sell or market raw milk or products made with raw milk. If Miller's Organic Farm is to distribute raw milk products, they must be given to immediate family members on a noncommercial basis.
The court also ruled that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture must be allowed to enter any location where Miller's Organic Farm manufactures, processes or distributes raw milk products for inspection.
Previously: An Amish farmer is once again in court for violating Pennsylvania food safety laws regarding the selling of raw milk.
Amos Miller of Leacock Township faced a preliminary injunction hearing on Thursday, after being accused of selling raw milk products that resulted in two E. coli illnesses.
A Lancaster judge made no decision on the case after the four-hour hearing.
According to the PA Department of Agriculture, inspectors were notified of two E. coli cases in New York and Michigan that stemmed from milk products sold by Miller's Organic Farm in December 2023. The agency then searched Miller's farm on January 4.
Inspectors testified that they witnessed workers filling raw milk products with their bare hands, utensils being found on the ground, and milk products being improperly stored.
The PA Department of Agriculture reportedly found evidence of Listeria in 25% of Miller's milk products during laboratory testing.
The Amish farmer has had several run-ins with state and federal inspectors since 2016 about selling raw milk products without a permit. In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration found Listeria in the farm's milk after one person died from consuming it.
In 2019, the Department of Justice won an injunction to cease Miller from violating food safety laws. Miller would acknowledge he violated the injunction in a 2020 consent decree.
In 2021, Miller was forced to pay $250,000 for repeated food safety violations.
Hundreds of people rallied outside the Lancaster County Courthouse ahead of Thursday's injunction hearing. Many of them held signs accusing the state Department of Agriculture of government overreach.
“We need to stand up and say hands off, hands off," said Arnoldo Brenneman, who came out to support Amos Miller. "Government has no business in this private association.”
Miller's legal team accused the Department of Agriculture of hiding test results from the public. One inspector testified that the test results for E. coli during the January 4 search were inconclusive.
His attorney argued that forcing Miller to sign a permit to sell raw milk and raw milk products would force him to stop selling 90% of his product.
“[The PA Department of Agriculture] interpret the raw milk permit as forfeiting your right to make yogurt, to make kefir, to make butter, to make cream, to make smoothies," said Robert Barnes, the lead attorney for Amos Miller. "The great danger to public health in Pennsylvania isn't a little, Amish farmer named Amos Miller, the greatest danger is known as the PA Department of Agriculture."
Barnes is hoping the judge will render a decision on the injunction by next week.