Posted by Farm at May 1st, 2010

Hello,

This is a scary time for those of us who value locally raised food, raising livestock and promoting sustainable agriculture. While the National Animal Identification System is being retooled, its  successor has yet to be seen.  But while we wait for that word, and while groups and individuals work with the developers to craft this new program, a larger specter looms on the horizon.

Senate Bill 510, the sister bill of HR 2749 has already passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 283 to 141. SB 510 was to have been voted on already, but due to the Health Care Reform Bill and Financial Reform, it has yet to come to the floor. We have 2 weeks, approximately, to fight this monstrous bill. It’s likely to pass, as most legislators fear voting “against” a food safety bill, but the bill, as is, spells the demise of the growing small farm, farmers market, value added farm goods and micro-dairies. The goat industry, one of the fastest growing areas of American livestock industry is particularly at risk, as we deal with cheese products, raw milk and small scale meat processing. These are particular areas of concern in SB510. As written, we would be  required to create and comply at HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis and Critical Concern Points).  An established dairy on the Pacific cost, Pugs Leap, with an established production of $100,000/yr calculated that the cost of compliance for their small dairy (less than 50 does) would be $200,000 and have decided to sell their dairy. Imagine trying to start a new dairy under such circumstances.

Online analyses of this bill can be found at
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4548062-sb-510-a-food-safety-bill-or-something-else-entirely

http://www.naturalnews.com/027579_food_safety_local_farms.html

http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/11/action-alert-senate-bill-510-fda-food-safety-modernization-act/

While there are those who are calling for the defeat of the bill, this is not likely. It is a good thing to crack down on industrial style food processing, but the growing food movement will essentially be killed by this bill. Montana’s Senator Tester has authored an amendment entitled “ Healthy Local Foods Amendment,” makes exceptions for direct from farm sales, and small scale agriculture.  There are some senators interested in co-sponsoring, but we need more people to contact their legislators about how this program will affect our local farms and economy.

More about the specifics of this amendment can be found at
http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/food_safety_bills_09

There is a letter that organizations can sign on to, which will show the strength of the support for the amendment and small farms. For those who are not directly affiliated with an organization, your personal calls, emails, faxes, and letters to your legislators or members of the Senate Committee for Health, Education Labor and Pensions or HELP will be very helpful.

There is a great deal more about this issue, but it gets pretty confusing. If you want more specifics about sections that endanger small scale farms, value-added processors, the definition of a food facility and others, I urge you to contact Harry Hamlin at hhamil@buncombe.main.nc.us  or
Google him, as he’s active in  Food Policy issues.

Please pass this information on to any individual or organization that you are involved with or in know about that is involved in sustainable agriculture, goats, value-added products, local food, farmer’s markets, and Food Coops.   We have very little time for a very important task.

 

Thank you,

Pat Stewart
Hames & Axle Farm
Ruminations Magazine: Celebrating the Small Farm Goat
Small Holders Alliance of Massachusetts
Commonwealth Caprines