THe FARR_ KAPTUR AMENDMENT--
supported by organic farmers and
small farmers,
was not considered.
This was essential to saying yes
on #HR 2749.
We need more time to come up with
more discussion and a better
Food Safety Law. This one has
too many flaws.

RELATED
SUPPORT FARR-KAPTUR AMENDMENT
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1461472

THis was not supported....

Tell all to vote No and call Washington.

VOTE ANTICIPATED ON #HR2749
today, July 28, 2009

YOU CAN FOLLOW THE TIMING
OF WHAT BILLS COME UP WHEN TODAY:
http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html


HERE ARE PHONE NUMBERS YOU CAN CALL
beside your own REPRESENTATIVE:
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html


PHONES of AG COMMITTEE HOUSE MEMBERS
http://curezone.com/blogs/c/fm.asp?i=1463600



10:41 AM
July 24, 09



Please call your Representative’s office and encourage
him/her to support HR 2749 ONLY if the ideas
included in the proposed Farr/Kaptur amendment
are included in the final bill.
--From RUSSELL LIBBY.

RUSSELL of the MAINE ORGANIC FARMING
and GARDENING ASSOCIATION
has been working with the
ENERGY and COMMERCE COMMITTEE.
They are the group making amendments
to #HR2749.


Find your Rep: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml


Phone listing: http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html

OTHERS TO CALL
THAT I LIKE in THE HOUSE
at the bottom of this BLOG!


Food Safety Update - Action Alert
Congress To Vote Soon

Congress may vote on HR 2749, The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, as soon as Friday, July 24th.

MOFGA has worked closely with both Energy and Commerce Committee staff and the Maine delegation to make the bill better by:
Focusing on national and international companies that process and distribute most food
Making sure farms aren’t inadvertently treated as processors, subject to a $500 annual facility fee, or regulated beyond their impact on the food system
Making sure that any produce standards that FDA develops consider the importance of diversity, natural resources, and existing organic standards

Part of MOFGA's work with the National Organic Coalition and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has been to develop amendments that will:
Clarify that farmers are not facilities
Make fees fair—low or no fees for small businesses, larger fees for larger businesses
Consider whole farm system when establishing food safety standards
Please call your Representative’s office and encourage him/her to support HR 2749 ONLY if the ideas included in the proposed Farr/Kaptur amendment are included in the final bill.

Representative Mike Michaud: 202-225-6306
Representative Chellie Pingree: 202-225-6116 (Note: Rep Pingree has already signed on to the proposed amendment—please thank her for that, as well.)


OTHERS TO CALL

"None of the producer witnesses at the hearing today would support the Food Safety Enhancement Act as it is written," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-6). "It is clear that members of the committee and our witnesses are concerned about the new authority the bill gives FDA to regulate on the farm production practices. The notion that FDA can dictate to farmers in every region of the country, growing and producing a vast array of crops and livestock for a range of markets, is irrational. I will continue to work with my colleagues to improve this food safety legislation."
Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html.
A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.
Rep Goodlatte, Bob VA 6th 202.225-5431


MY TAKE--LESLIE
11:02 AM
JULY 24, 09

I am glad we are linking in terms of amendments
but there is still much discussion that needs to happen
before passing this bill.

The FARR-KAPTUR AMendment addresses a few of them.

I still feel that this bill needs to be slowed down.
It has too many flaws. I want a good Healthy Food Safety Bill.


8:35 AM
July 24, 09

HEALTHY FOOD SAFETY: WHAT's YOUR TAKE?
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1460328







(Tongue in Cheek humor....from Leslie)

KIDS playing in the field--LA MILPA ORGANICA FARM
July 18, 2009. These kids, are all older than five years old,
so there is no problem here. IF we do nothing, #HR 2749
The Food Safety Enhancement Act 2009, will likely pass congress,
creating an opening for many new FDA agents. One of their
jobs, according to the proposed GREEN LEAFY GUIDELINES
submitted to the USDA June 8, would be to pass a regulation
that children under five--diaper concerns--be kept out of the field.
Enforcing these regulations should create a lot of new opportunities
to bring FDA agents to the farm and farmers' market where
we can all become friends. President Obama Food Safety
Working Group has its eye on Leafy Greens, and mentioned
them in its initial findings June 9, The issue of kids in the field
was brought up in the article by Carolyn Lochhead.
Crops, ponds destroyed in quest for food safety.
I am very concerned
that the mindset in Washington is learning toward sterility
on the farm. A massive education program is needed more
for the FDA and legislators.


GATHERING THIS SUNDAY
IN SAN DIEGO, 4-7 PM
TO DISCUSS #HR 2749

For anyone is San Diego, we are having a gathering
here Sunday 4-7 PM July 26 to look at and have a lively
discussion about The new proposed FOOD SAFETY ENHHANCEMENT
ACT of 2009, #usbill ##HR2749. There are a lot of issues
brought up on this PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOG with
many links.

I am glad we are linking in terms of amendments
but there is still much discussion that needs to happen
before passing this bill.

The FARR-KAPTUR AMendment addresses a few of them.

I still feel that this bill needs to be slowed down.
It has too many flaws. I want a good Healthy Food Safety Bill.

I do not trust the FDA with more regulatory powers.
Their history has shown them extremely pro-big Pharma
and uneducated about the benefits of natural health or
natural products. The advancement of Mr MICHAEL TAYLOR
to food Craz of FDA concerns me. He is a former Monsanto
VP.

We need time to bring up the correct amendments, or
work through to get a good bill.

This is the time for the small farmers, and the organic farmers
needs to be heard.

$500.00 fees to small farmers and start up companies selling
at the FM is unfair. Let the big ag and processors pay a fair
share.

This is the time to clarify where the source of the problem
lies, large scale processors with little contact with those who
eat their products. This is not the case with the already
regulated, and over regulated small farmers.



4:13 AM
July 24, 09

Copied from:
http://hiddenhollowsfarm.wordpress.com/


Food Safety Bill Unfair to Small Farming/Small Business
July 23, 2009 in farm | Tags: agriculture, farming, food processing, food safety, HR 2749, Small Farm, sustainable | Leave a comment
I cannot emphasize enough how poorly written legislation can harm the smallest farm enterprises. Please if you can spare a few minutes, read this letter from PASA and then contact your representatives urging them to support the outlined amendments. This has the potential to seriously hinder the buy local community farming movements that are taking place if not written well. I could not do a better job of outlining the concerns so I’ve included the well written e-mail from PASA for you to read.

To: All PASA Members

From: Brian Snyder, Executive Director

Dear friends,

I’m going to make this as succinct as possible, while also giving you enough background to understand what’s going on. In brief, the Food Safety bill in the House of Representatives (HR 2749) is expected to move as early as tomorrow (if no bumps in the road), but certainly by early next week. The goal of the Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) is to move this bill under “suspension,” meaning with limited debate and no amendments, which requires a two-thirds vote, and to do so before the August recess starts in two weeks. Delay of healthcare legislation at this point means they will try to move forward on food safety first, aggressively and somewhat undercover of the healthcare debate.

PASA has been centrally involved in consulting with E&C on this legislation since March, along with our friends at MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc.), NSAC (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition) and others across the country. Last week, PASA farmer member Nick Maravell (Potomac, Maryland) testified in a hearing on the bill before the House Ag Committee and did an incredible job of raising the most important outstanding issues.

To date we have achieved some things we can be proud of, including exemption for direct marketers from most traceability requirements (including for sales to restaurants and grocery stores), and now including some clear language in the bill to define what on-farm processing activities might be exempt from FDA registration as well. Things are still in flux as I write, but we believe all such processing will be exempt as long as 50% or more of sales (including by Internet and mail order) are made directly to individuals (i.e. retail, as opposed to wholesale). And a huge gain just this week will likely be another exemption on sales of feedstuffs for livestock from one farmer to another, which had been included in the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 (thaaat’s right…) as an activity requiring registration. There have been other gains in specific wording of the bill, too detailed to enumerate in this email right now.

THE FEE STANDS--(my header...Leslie)

But we’re still disappointed that the fee being assessed to eligible businesses, including some on farms, will be the flat rate of $500 instead of our preferred sliding scale for smaller operations, including a minimum size below which no fee would be charged. We in fact would prefer to see a much higher fee paid by the largest food processing companies, from which most food safety issues seem to emanate in any case — but that may not be achievable at this point.


We also have other language we’d like to see in the bill that would focus attention on high risk aspects of food production, protect organic farmers from duplicative paperwork and expand the research agenda into more diversified systems. All of these concerns are contained in an amendment being sponsored by Representatives Farr, Kaptur and others that E&C must deal with if they expect to get their two-thirds vote to limit debate.

So, we’re asking ALL of you to take a little time out of your busy summer schedules to help advance the sustainable farming agenda with respect to food safety even more than what we’ve been able to on our own.


Call your representatives, and maybe a few others, and express strong support for the exemptions now contained in HR 2749 for direct marketing, and ask them to support the Farr-Kaptur Amendment that would do even more to focus food safety efforts on the REAL problem areas. To be clear, they will need to insist that language of the amendment get into the bill before it is introduced on the floor. Also, let them know what you think of a system that would charge a small on-farm processing operation the same fee as facilities operated by the largest food companies in the world! Following are links where you can find contact info for members of the House of Representatives:

Find your Rep: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml


Phone listing: http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html


This has already been a long slog, and if this bill passes we’ll now have to begin working with the Senate, and then a likely Conference Committee, to make further improvements. As usual, we are greatly outnumbered and outsized ($$) by groups that would rather see sustainable farmers pay the price of food system sins that have originated elsewhere. But we’ve been here before, and prevailed. A few minutes of your time today or early tomorrow could make sure that common sense wins out again!

Thanks for your care and attention to this important matter.

Brian Snyder
Executive Director, PASA

Brian Snyder
Executive Director, PASA brian@pasafarming.org

PASA FARMING ORG

PASA Headquarters / Millheim Office
Postal Service Mailing Address:
PASA
P.O. Box 419
Millheim, PA 16854
Phone: 814-349-9856
Fax: 814-349-9840


http://www.pasafarming.org/inside-pasa


Old UPDATE off PASA SITE:
http://www.pasafarming.org/news/pasa-news?NWS_ID=be6a227f-a10d-45cb-81a5-a944...

FARMING FOR THE FUTURE CONFERENCE
looks good!
Feb 2010

http://www.pasafarming.org/our-work/farming-for-the-future-conference

JILL RICHARDASON allert
http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/2186/action-support-the-farrkaptur-food-s...



TESTIMONY OF NICK MARIVELL
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1457724


"What concerns me most about this bill is that it could be perilously close to making our Nation’s food safety more difficult to achieve in the long run. While the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 will have some positive impacts on the safety of our Nation’s food supply, it will also have some unintended consequences. In my opinion as a farmer, this legislation needs more refinement before going forward. I do not make this statement lightly or out of self-interest, but out of deep concern for the ultimate safety and security of our country’s food supply."

QUOTE FROM
NICK MARIVELL
of NICK’s ORGANIC FARM
Maryland
at the AGRICULTURAL COMMITTEE
JULY 16, 2009



"None of the producer witnesses at the hearing today would support the Food Safety Enhancement Act as it is written," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-6). "It is clear that members of the committee and our witnesses are concerned about the new authority the bill gives FDA to regulate on the farm production practices. The notion that FDA can dictate to farmers in every region of the country, growing and producing a vast array of crops and livestock for a range of markets, is irrational. I will continue to work with my colleagues to improve this food safety legislation."
Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html.
A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.
Rep Goodlatte, Bob VA 6th 202.225-5431

She had an ear to NICK MARIVELL
July 16. I am calling her too.

Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie SD At Large 202.225-2801
http://hersethsandlin.house.gov/

1:03 PM

Rep JOHN DREIER R is calling for open debate...on
some bill. He is taking about JOHN MADISON.
He is saying that the more important things are,
the less they debate these days. I agree.
What can be more important that Food?
I want debate on #HR 2749, open debate.
I want to see the idea of givng more regulatory
powers to the FDA debated.


July 26, 09
2:17 PM

This organization is working on this:

http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/

http://sustainableagriculture.net/

http://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/

RODALE INSTITUTE
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20090723/nfaa1



 

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