[Ag-eq] This legislation can ruine my business and your farm and faring operation. thanks for your attention.Fw: FTCLDF Alert about Senate Food Safety Bill

Wed Nov 11 20:53:34 UTC 2009

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "woodcock chorus.net" <woodcock at chorus.net>
To: <freespirit1 at tds.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 11:13 AM
Subject: Fwd: FTCLDF Alert about Senate Food Safety Bill


> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: FTCLDF President <president at farmtoconsumer.org>
> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:56:49 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: FTCLDF Alert about Senate Food Safety Bill
> To: woodcock at chorus.net
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> In This Issue
>
> Problems with the Bill
> Actions to Take
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Quick Links
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> Dear David,
> November 10, 2009
> The debate on food safety is heating up in Congress!  The Senate
> Committee on Health,
> Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) is planning to mark up S. 510, the
> Senate version
> of the draconian House food safety bill (H.R. 2749).  This is a major
> step towards
> passing the bill.
> Big Ag and Big Food have distributed melamine-contaminated milk from
> China and salmonella-contaminated
> peppers from Mexico.  Yet Congress hasn't gotten the message that they
> need to solve
> the real problems - the centralized food distribution system and imported 
> foods
> - and not regulate our local food sources out of business.  We need your 
> help to
> make them listen!  Please read through the problems with the bill and then 
> call
> your Senators (details below).
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> PROBLEMS WITH THE BILL
> 1. The bill applies to all food, not just food in interstate commerce.
> On its face,
> the bill applies to any farm or food producer, regardless of location, 
> size, or
> scope of distribution.  If the intent truly is to limit the bill to food 
> that is
> crossing state lines, then it must be amended.  And even then, the
> bill would still
> negatively impact small farmers and food processors who live near
> state lines and
> who cross state lines to reach local farmers markets and co-ops.
> 2. The major foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls have all been caused 
> by the
> large, industrial food system.  Small, local food producers have not
> contributed
> to the highly publicized outbreaks. Yet S. 510 subjects the small,
> local food system
> to the same, broad federal regulatory oversight that would apply to
> the industrial
> food system.
> 3. FDA regulation of local food processors is unnecessary and overly 
> burdensome.
> Federal regulations may be needed for industrial, large-scale
> processing facilities
> that source raw ingredients from multiple locations (sometimes
> imported from other
> countries) and ship their products across the country, but federal 
> regulation is
> overkill for small, local processors.  Existing state and local
> public health laws
> are enough for local food sources.
> 4. Relying on HACCP will harm small processors.  S. 510 applies a
> complex and burdensome
> Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to even the
> smallest local
> food processors.  Although HACCP may be good in theory a good theory for 
> large,
> complex facilities, USDA's implementation of HACCP, with its
> requirements to develop
> and maintain extensive records, has already proven to be an overwhelming 
> burden
> for a significant number of small, regional meat processors across the 
> country.
> In the meat industry, HACCP has substituted paperwork review for
> independent inspections
> of large meatpacking plants, while sanctioning small processors for
> paperwork violations
> that posed no health threat.  Applying a HACCP system to small, local
> foods processors
> could drive them out of business, reducing consumers' options to buy
> fresh, local
> foods.
> 5. FDA does not belong on the farm. S. 510 calls for FDA regulation of how 
> farms
> grow and harvest produce.  Given the agency's track record, it is
> likely that the
> regulations will discriminate against small, organic, and diversified
> farms.  The
> House version of the bill directs FDA to consider the impact of its
> rulemaking on
> small-scale and diversified farms, but there are no enforceable limits
> or protections
> for small diversified and organic farms from inappropriate and
> burdensome federal
> rules.
> 6. S. 510 favors foreign farms and producers over domestic. The bill
> creates incentives
> for retailers to import more food from other countries, because it
> burdens family
> farms and small business and because it will be practically impossible
> to hold foreign
> food facilities to the same standards and inspections.  The bill will
> create a considerable
> competitive disadvantage for ALL U.S. agriculture and food production
> (see analysis
> at http://ftcldf.org/news/news-20Oct2009-2.html
> [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102818134647&s=8436&e=001Ve67aaEsVRSPT0RoblqxtQh6450teoZt-NldAiQpigfZTKw99w1_mDKzMISQZzs-iilGHKmGAPOkz25Z-UBB6BYDaus4DG9LVCHUEeCx9fwJBdGmP7d-HnuEBD6xp40ykmPozdGuvrRhvNy6pmkNPw==]
> ).
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> ACTION TO TAKE:
> 1.  Contact both of your U.S. Senators.  Ask to speak to the staffer who 
> handles
> food safety issues and if you are able to speak to them rely on the
> talking points
> above to explain the problems with the bill.  If you get their voice mail, 
> leave
> this message:
> "I am a resident of _____.  I am opposed to S. 510 because it will
> place unnecessary
> and burdensome regulations on our small farms and local food
> processors.  Contrary
> to FDA's testimony, the bill is not limited to food in interstate 
> commerce.  In
> addition, it does not address the root cause of foodborne illnesses,
> i.e., a centralized
> food system, and it will impact small and local producers.  I urge Senator 
> __ to
> take every action possible to stop unlimited FDA power from
> destroying our local
> food sources.  Please call me back at _______"
> To find contact information for your Senators, go to www.congress.org
> [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102818134647&s=8436&e=001Ve67aaEsVRQ1enN3iZjW-RKLskKuoR93D8JRcbmFiV9F7fMv85CKsEPh17o3zOUbN90l6OxSJBrN7pxy6rftQTsHmKYuiFgf2I0A_cgDRpxqy9wL8UhfRQ==]
> or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
> 2. Also contact the Chair and Ranking Member of the HELP Committee:
> Chairman Harkin,
> (p): 202-224-0767,
>
> (f): 202-224-5128
> Senator Enzi, Ranking Member, (p): 202-224-6770
>
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