Judge OKs state motion to ban Lancaster County ‘raw milk’ farm from producing, selling products

The owners of a Lancaster County farm accused of selling raw milk and raw milk products without the required permits and licenses can no longer manufacture, process, market, sell, or distribute their products after a county judge approved the state’s emergency motion Wednesday.

A lawsuit — brought against Amos and Rebecca Miller, of Leacock Township — was filed Tuesday and says the couple has been in violation of state and federal guidelines for years while selling raw milk and other raw milk products at their storefront, Miller’s Organic Farm.

The emergency motion, filed by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and state Department of Agriculture, was granted Wednesday and a county judge scheduled a hearing for Friday at 9 a.m.

The motion prohibits the Millers — and anyone employed by them — from using cows they own or “third-party” cows to produce, market, or sell raw milk products.

Various state and federal agencies have been trying to get the farm to operate within regulatory guidelines since 2016, when a Florida resident died after consuming raw milk products from the farm.

This ongoing dispute has even caught the attention of the former president’s campaign. Among those rushing to Miller’s defense several weeks ago was Donald Trump Jr. who posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Imagine what law enforcement could accomplish if they went after oh I don’t know, say, members of elite pedophile rings rather than farmers selling to their neighbors???”

By the next day, a fundraising campaign had generated close to $70,000 to support Miller.

Two cases of out-of-state foodborne illnesses — which the lawsuit says were caused by raw milk products from Miller’s Organic Farm — led authorities to raid the farm in early January. During the raid, raw milk products contaminated with Listeria were found.

Listeria is a foodborne bacteria that usually causes mild intestinal or flu-like illness, but in rare cases can cause death.

Raw milk is milk that hasn’t undergone pasteurization, the heating process normally applied to milk to kill germs. Some people prefer raw milk because they believe it has more enzymes and other nutrients that can promote good health. But health entities including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that raw milk and products such as cheese and yogurt made from raw milk can become contaminated with bacteria that can cause severe illness and even death.