A raw deal FOR RAW MILK?
Three weeks before Christmas 2019, in a scene reminiscent of a police raid on organised criminals or drug dealers, three Government vehicles sped up the limestone road to the Ashton family home in rural Waipukurau in a cloud of white dust.
Seven agents quickly alighted. Three of the burliest secured the immediate perimeter while four inspectors, on presenting a search warrant authorised by the Upper Hutt District Court, began rifling through the home office and bedrooms.
In their pursuit of ‘evidence of a sale’ they seized files and paperwork, dismantled a desktop computer and removed the hard drive, and confiscated a laptop and another hard drive from two neighbouring properties.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) agents then headed to the back of the organic poultry and dairy operation to the milking shed, chiller and bottling area where they seized about 60 bottles of the substance they were most interested in … milk … raw milk. [Lindsay Farm (the land) is certified organic by BioGro – Ed.]
Paul Ashton, who was away delivering at the time, wasn’t too worried about the office search, however rummaging through his wife Christine’s underwear draw and failure to look in two other bedrooms and a hallway cupboard raised an eyebrow.
He was also concerned the search warrant had a wrong address and land description and was also used to search adjacent properties owned by his son Mike and his wife, and daughter Ange Brooks and her husband.
He questions why the homes of family members who worked on the business were raided at all and why copies of the warrant and their rights
