(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) An Amish farmer in Pennsylvania has become a folk-hero to civil libertarians for fighting back after state and federal officials spent nearly a decade targeting him for harassment and confiscating tens of thousands of dollars worth of inventory from his business.
Supporters from across the state gather in support of Amos Miller outside the Lancaster County Courthouse. pic.twitter.com/x0uzT66QAs
— The Lancaster Patriot (@TheLanPatriot) February 29, 2024
Last week, supporters of Amos Miller gathered outside a state courthouse in Lancaster, where he was defending his business from a lawsuit against the organic farm that he owns.
The lawsuit, which followed a January raid by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, sought to sue Miller for selling raw milk and other unregulated products.
The crowd of protesters supporting the farm held signs that read things like, “stand against tyranny,” “I’ll decide what I eat” and “food freedom.”
In addition to the protesters, Miller’s business has also received support from conservative politicians like Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
“It’s a shame that small farmers have been pushed into these situations by overbearing government regulatory agencies and lawmakers captured by corporations and monopolies,” Massie told Newsweek in a recent interview. “I support all small farmers and consumers who wish to engage in voluntary transactions.”
This isn’t the first time Miller and his farm have been targeted by government for what they produce. The federal government sent armed agents back in 2022, demanding that he cease operations while imposing a $300,000 fine on his business.
The origin for these battles against the government originated back in 2016, when two illnesses from 2014 were allegedly linked to the raw milk sold from Miller’s Organic Farm.
The USDA has been trying to bring them into compliance with federal regulations ever since.
All of these government actions taken against the farm have sparked a unification among conservatives, who see Miller as a victim of government overreach.
Susanne Schwarz, assistant professor of political science at Swarthmore College, said Miller’s supporters may wonder, “if this happened to him, could it happen to me?”
With eyes once again turning toward the battleground Keystone State in the upcoming presidential election, the outrage stoked by Miller’s legal battle may take center stage in the broader national debate over the Left’s politicized weaponization of bureaucratic agencies to harass private citizens.
Lancaster County, where the farm is located, has been dominated by Republicans for quite some time. A Democratic presidential candidate has not won the county in 60 years and former President Donald Trump received over 56% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020.
