[MPWG] (no subject)

[myron hardesty]

Sorry for the possible confusion. Apparently it was a resend from  
earlier in the year. Please let this not be an instance of crying  
wolf. Updates on the bill below:


Retraction: ACTION ALERT: Organic Farming Ban

The Community Farm Alliance regrets that “ACTION ALERT: Organic  
Farming Ban” was sent out.  This is a dated action alert from  
earlier in the year.  HR 875 is of no threat to any farmer or  
producer since the bill has been stuck in the House Subcommittee on  
Livestock, Dairy and Poultry since April 23 of this year and will  
likely never move anywhere.  Further, it is not a threat because on  
July 29, the House passed HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act.   
This piece of legislation, it is fair to say, is not without its  
issues, but is by no means an outright ban on organic or small scale  
farming.  We apologize for not checking our facts and we promise to  
never let this happen again.

This however presents us with a useful opportunity to give some  
background on current Food Safety legislation and the concerns given  
by organizations such as National Sustainable Agriculture Alliance  
(NSAC) and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance.




Background:



Following the passage of HR 2749, the Senate Health, Education, Labor  
and Pensions Committee began work on S.510, “The Food Safety and  
Modernization Act.”  S.510 left committee on November 17th and is  
headed for the full Senate for debate.  With the current debate over  
health care dominating the legislative scene, it is unlikely that  
this bill will come to a vote, much less debate, anytime soon.  While  
regulating food safety is highly necessary, S.510 unfortunately  
regards small and mid-size producers as if they were operating on an  
industrial-scale complete with matching regulations.

The NSAC has highlighted several areas of concern:
-The definition of farm "facility" is too broad and includes farms  
doing value-added processing of low risk foods (if a farm has to  
register as a "facility," then it must "develop, implement, and  
monitor HACCP-type plans, be inspected on an iterative basis by the  
FDA, and under the House Bill, pay an annual registration fee").
-There is no language stating that the FDA must make its new GAPs  
scale appropriate, pro-diversification and in line with existing  
organic standards.
-There is no exemption on traceability requirements for direct farmer  
to consumer, store, or restaurant sales or "farm identity-preserved  
labeling sales"

Ultimately, this bill is very unclear about who the FDA will be  
regulating and how they will be doing so.  The lack of clarity is a  
big concern.

Several CFA members have expressed their concern about this bill and  
how it could impact their farm or business.  We will continue to  
monitor it.  If you are concerned about S.510, we recommend you  
contact your US Senators to let them know how you feel.

If you would like more information about HR 2749 or S.510, please  
contact our Frankfort office or visit NSAC Homepage: http:// 
sustainableagriculture.net/

Again, we sincerely apologize for the misleading ACTION ALERT.  We  
appreciate your concerns and thank you for your understanding.





☿ Myron Hardesty, PA-C

    Medical Herbalist

    ☤

    medweed at mac.com


The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.
Therefore the physician starts from nature, and proceeeds with an  
open mind.   --- Paracelsus



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