"Food Safety" Bill Better Than We Thought, At Least Initially

[dannno]

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a farmer, added an amendment before Thanksgiving that would exempt small farmers and those who sell directly to consumers at farmers markets and farm stands.

But the Tester amendment has angered large agriculture groups, which argue that no one should be exempted from producing safe food. The Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association withdrew their support for the bill in light of the Tester amendment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112903881.html


So the bill still creates a huge expansive bureaucracy which could be used against small farms in the future.. the bill hasn't passed yet, so this amendment could always be scrapped...

We'll have to watch closely.

[Vessol]

Good to see someone from Montana throw a wrench into their plans.

[dannno]

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[dannno]

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[dannno]

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[dannno]

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[dannno]

Umm, this is sort of important to know.

[nate895]

Good to see someone from Montana throw a wrench into their plans.

He's going to be in a tough reelection fight next go around. That's probably the source of this amendment.

[Standing Like A Rock]

Over the summer I work at a farmstand. I will have to ask the owner what he thinks about this.

[Vessol]

Umm, this is sort of important to know.

You have to remember that we as a society are sadly disconnected so much from our source of food that we simply have come to a natural point where we subconsciously don't worry about it.

We are farmers looking out over the furrowed crops of food shelves. That is our fields. As a modern society we have innudated ourselves with so many other things that the origination of food, which has plagued the minds of our ancestors for so long, is now only a foregone memory.

[ninepointfive]

this food control act is a major blow to freedom.

I can't wait to sell black market vegetables.

[sailingaway]

"Despite wide bipartisan support and unprecedented backing from many major food companies, the legislation stalled in the Senate as it came under fire from advocates of buying locally produced food and operators of small farms, who said it would could bankrupt some small businesses. Senators eventually agreed to an amendment by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to exempt some of those operations from costly food safety plans required of bigger companies, rankling food safety advocates and larger growers but gaining support from farm-state senators.
No such exemption exists in the House version, which passed in July 2009. The House bill, favored by food safety advocates, includes more money for FDA inspectors and would charge fees to companies to help pay for the increased regulation. It would also include stricter penalties for food manufacturers who violate the law."

So unless the House passes the Senate version, the bad version can still come back to life in committee.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101130/ap_on_bi_ge/us_congress_food_safety;_ylt=AmN3ndg8wrB9XtZYN7Ot9 L.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFoOWU4OXFuBHBvcwMyNQRzZWMDYWNjb 3JkaW9uX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNzZW5hdGVwYXNzZXM-

[tangent4ronpaul]

The unintended consequences of this bill:

Tester's amendment is the one (there were two) I believe that defined a small farm as making less than $250,000 a year and selling within 250 miles (that would be a radius, so 500 mile diameter). They should be largely to completely exempt from these regulations. On the larger end of that range, I can see local farms stop selling to national food companies and switching focus to local markets instead. I can also see farms over that range downsizing their operations and selling locally or splitting and becoming 2-3 farms. These would be good things - unless you live more than 250 miles from a farm.

A move to buy locally, which is going to be pushed by economic pressures, no matter how slight, will be enhanced not only by existing transportation costs, but now by the regulatory tax.

Co-Ops and bulk survival foods sellers will be hurt for grains and such they buy from wholesale chains where the food travels a good distance.

The vitamins issue and threat of requiring an Rx as well as other food supplements becoming unavailable will be a threat to national health.

This is like outsourcing jobs overseas, as overseas production is not put under this regulatory burden and while FDA can prevent it coming into the country, it most likely will get a free pass.

This will drive up food prices, damage the economy and could easily result in food shortages, particularly if the opposition sees this hot button issue as a way to produce domestic unrest (hunger/less choice/poorer), leave egg on the administrations face as their uber-expensive solution results in more outbreaks and decrease the countries status (and power) as the worlds bread basket (foreign food aid is used as a carrot and a stick) via crop sabotage. Other parts of the world are already moving to produce more of their own food to become less reliant on us. This is likely to be potentated by mid size producers going out of business and total food production being reduced as a result. Though driving the little guys out of business has been a primary Monsato goal.

Considering regionalism, what would happen if all energy production was regulated to having to be produced within 250 miles.

-t

[BamaFanNKy]

HAHAHA looks like someone screwed the bill: http://www.rollcall.com/news/-201012-1.html?ET=rollcall:e9341:80059625a:&st=email

[puppetmaster]

HAHAHA looks like someone screwed the bill: http://www.rollcall.com/news/-201012-1.html?ET=rollcall:e9341:80059625a:&st=email

they will take out the exemption

[paulitics]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112903881.html


So the bill still creates a huge expansive bureaucracy which could be used against small farms in the future.. the bill hasn't passed yet, so this amendment could always be scrapped...

We'll have to watch closely.

I think I read that the amendment applies to those who gross less than 500,000 dollars in sales, which is a joke. When you are talking about produce, with extremely low margins, this would eliminate most succesful small businesses. I would think like 99.9999% of them.

Really, when I think of a small business in this sector, I am thinking more like gross sales of less than 50 million, since the profit is such a tiny fraction. I mean the corporate farms are in the billions.

[BamaFanNKy]

The bill is supported by Monsanto.

[TNforPaul45]

...............and it passed.