[permaculture] Greens urge amendment to food safety bills

Brent McMillan brent at gp.org
Mon Apr 6 11:29:23 EDT 2009


GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Monday, April 6, 2009

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, 
mclarty at greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at gp.org

Greens urge amendment to food safety bills, citing need to protect 
family farms and organic farming

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on 
environmental policy http://www.gp.org/speakers

• "The First 100 Days: What Would a Green Administration Look Like?" 
(video and text) http://www.gp.org/first100

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders voiced concerns about the "Food 
Safety Modernization Act" (HR 875 and S 425) and, while supporting the 
goal of food safety and farm inspections, urged amendments in the bill 
to protect small and family farms, farmers' markets, and organic farming.

"America needs national food safety guarantees in the age of genetic 
modification, misleading labeling, food-borne illnesses and 
contaminants, especially pesticides. But the 'one size fits all' 
approach of the bills endangers family farms and local, organic 
agriculture. Without amendments, the result of HR 875 and S 425 may be 
the demise of small farms and organic agriculture, increased profits and 
the expansion of giant agri-businesses," said Nancy Allen, farmer and 
member of the Maine Green Independent Party.

"Rather than crushing protocols and penalties, we call for regulation 
that ensures food safety by working with family farms, farmers markets, 
and similar small businesses and promotes the selling of locally, 
organically, and sustainably grown produce," Ms. Allen added.

Greens noted that the bills do not address the problems of the large 
corporate farms: poor working conditions, limitations on fast marketing 
because of large quantities of produce, long-distance markets, overuse 
of chemicals, petroleum dependence, and lack of quality, nutrition, 
taste, and freshness.

Recent breakdowns in food safety have been the result of major corporate 
farming practices that fail to control pathogens, because of indequate 
regulatory oversight caused by the influence of agricultural monopolies 
on state and national agencies responsible for protecting consumers. 
Greens said that all farms should be held to strict standards and 
undergo inspections, but warned that the cost of paperwork and oversight 
protocols would be prohibitive to small farms and would ultimately harm 
consumers if small farms were subjected to the same requirements as huge 
agribusiness farms.

The Green Party's national platform advocates "legislation that assists 
new farmers and ranchers, that promotes widespread ownership to small 
and medium-sized farms and ranches, and that revitalizes and repopulates 
rural communities and promotes sustainable development and stewardship" 
(http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/ecology.html#753970).

For more information on the Food Safety bills and concerns about their 
effect on small farms, visit the Cornucopia Institute's web pages: 
"Farmers Fear Being Run over by Food Safety Juggernaut" (April 2, 2009) 
(http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17451.cfm); Action 
Alert: Critical Pending Food Safety Legislation 
(http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/03/action-alert-critical-pending-food-safety-legislation).

See also "Food Safety Hits the Fan: Regulatory Action, Inaction and 
Over-reaction and the Effects on Small Scale Growers" by Steve Gilman, 
Northeast Organic Farm Association - Interstate Council Policy 
Coordinator (http://www.nofa.org/policy/leafygreens.php).

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Tally of Green election victories 
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
• Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
• Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: 
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections

Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

~ END ~

Posted by:
Brent McMillan, Steward of Woodhaven
Avilla, IN, USA




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