Pennsylvania State Troopers on Thursday raided Amos Miller’s Lancaster County organic farm, spent several hours inside the building, and left with coolers containing his property.

According to The Lancaster Patriot, the search was conducted by “employees of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, with Pennsylvania State Police offering assistance as needed.”

The outlet attempted to enter the facility during the search, but government officials refused to let them inside.

“We’re conducting a search warrant inside this building right now,” a Pennsylvania State Trooper told a reporter at the scene.

The Lancaster Patriot’s Chris Hume reported from Miller’s organic farm.

WATCH:

“Looks like Amos Miller’s farm is being raided. With all of the problems in society today, this is what the government wants to focus on? A man growing food for informed customers, without participating in the industrial meat/milk complex? It’s shameful that it’s come to this,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) commented.

“A search warrant was issued on Jan. 3, 2024, by Magisterial District Judge B. Denise Commins and included an affidavit of probable cause completed by Sheri Morris, Acting Bureau Director of Food Safety with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture,” The Lancaster Patriot writes.

The outlet shared footage of the raid being executed.

WATCH:

“Amos Miller has come under attack (again!) by a government bent on regulating small farmers out of business. If you’d like to help keep Amos in business during this time, you can support him here,” The Lancaster Patriot wrote with a link to a GiveSendGo page.

Per GiveSendGo:

Amos Miller’s Amish farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was raided on January 4, 2024. Under the watchful eye of Pennsylvania State Troopers, and the backing of a search warrant, agents of the state entered Amos’ property, spent hours inside his buildings, and then hauled off some of his products. The remaining products they are forbidding Amos from selling, effectively ending his business until further notice. As Amos fights this injustice, he needs to keep paying his employees and supporting the small farms that rely on Amos to sell their natural products. If you would like to help keep Amos in business, please consider a donation.

Miller’s attorney, Robert Barnes, released the following statement just hours after the search was conducted:

“Today, the Department of Agriculture of the State of Pennsylvania suddenly came, without notice, raided Amos’ farm, and detained everything Amos had in the farm’s freezer. They did so in a lawless manner, without appropriate authority, in violation of their own rules and regulations, despite never objecting to the prior resolutions reached with the federal government, and despite a complete failure by the state to even reach out to Amos’ known counsel, Robert Barnes. The state’s own rules require advance notice, reasonable time frames for inspections, and a showing of credentials, none of which occurred here. Instead, the state unlawfully obtained a search warrant, based on materially false statements in an affidavit by a high-ranking state official in an agency with a known grievance against independent farmers like Amos, and, after the raid and finding no evidence of wrongdoing, then illegally ordered detained every item of food in one of Amos Miller’s coolers, including buffalo meat not even subject to federal regulation. The detention order is patently illegal under Pennsylvania law. Despite the constant harassment, Amos will continue to do all he legally can to provide the food his members deeply need. Amos thanks you for your continued support at this critical time for food freedom in America.”

The Lancaster Patriot reports:

The affidavit referenced incidents involving Miller’s products dating back to 2016, with the latest including the claim that on Dec. 19, 2023, Morris was informed “by the NY state Department of Health of a confirmed positive case of a foodborne pathogen (STEC – Shiga toxin producing E. Coli) in an underage individual” who had allegedly consumed products from Miller’s private buying club. On Dec. 28, 2023, Morris was allegedly notified about a similar incident in Michigan.

In the affidavit, Morris contends that Miller has not filed for applications from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture “for registration, licensing, or permitting under the pertinent Retail Food Facility Safety Act, Food Safety Act, or Milk Sanitation Laws.”

A report of seized property provided to Miller after the search was conducted listed 37 items, including sour cream, chocolate milk, ice cream, and eggnog.

A notice affixed to a walk-in cooler door stated that the food in the cooler “has been detained by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture pursuant to Section 5726(a) of the Food Safety Act.” The notice states that the food “may be adulterated or misbranded and shall be detained.” The notice states that it is “unlawful to remove the food from the premises or to dispose of it without approval of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.”

Removal or disposal of “a detained or embargoed food article” is a criminal and civil offense.

The cooler contains hundreds of items and represents a large portion of Miller’s products.

Miller’s private buying club provides customers with sustainable alternatives to commercially produced food. In addition to serving customers who travel to his location, Miller also ships his products across the nation.

“They [his customers] don’t trust the large corporations,” Miller told The Lancaster Patriot in 2022. “It’s not sustainable. For some reason the government keeps endorsing the large corporations, and it can cause big trouble.”

Miller’s products include cheese, meat, eggs, and raw milk. His company website states that all food products “are only available to members who belong to our Private Association and are NOT available to the PUBLIC.” Miller’s products are not sold in grocery stores.

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