Freeport Farmer Acquitted in Raw Milk Trial

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jurors have acquitted a Minnesota man accused of violating state laws by running a buying club that distributes raw milk from farmers to consumers.

The Hennepin County jury on Thursday acquitted Alvin Schlangen on all counts.

Schlangen is an organic egg producer from Freeport in central Minnesota. His attorney argued that Schlangen's club is not a business, but a voluntary and legal association of consumers who lease cows from Amish farmers.

Minnesota agriculture officials say the acquittal doesn't mean that raw milk is safe.

The state agriculture department released a statement after Schlangen was cleared.

Department officials say the verdict doesn't wipe away other legal rulings that have upheld their enforcement actions. And they say it doesn't erase the fact that many children and adults have gotten sick from raw milk.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved)