Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Harold and Sue Karber <karber@pldi.net>]

(sent to me privately)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mary Zanoni" <mlz@slic.com>
To: <mlz@slic.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 4:08 PM
Subject: Hidden "NAIS on steroids" provisions in the proposed "Safe Food 
Act," S 654 and HR 1148


First, a huge debt of gratitude is due to Sue Karber of Oklahoma for 
finding the below "hidden provision" in proposed federal legislation.
>
One of the proposals for dealing with food-contamination issues (such as
bacteria in spinach and peanut butter, greatly hyped by the media but
actually affecting a vanishingly small proportion of Americans) is to 
create
a single federal agency responsible for food safety.  Such an agency would
combine separate responsibilities for food safety that are now divided
between the Department of Agriculture (which oversees, among other things,
slaughterhouses) and the Food and Drug Administration (which now oversees,
e.g., highly processed foods and vegetables).  In support of this
single-agency concept, bills have been introduced in both houses of 
Congress
to create such an agency:  the Senate bill is S 654, sponsored by Sen.
Durbin (IL) and cosponsored by Sens. Casey (PA) and Schumer (NY); the 
House
bill is HR 1148, sponsored by Rep. DeLauro (CT, 3rd) and 13 cosponsors.
>
While the bills have no prospect of swift (or maybe any other) passage at
present, NAIS opponents should be aware that they contain a provision 
which,
if enacted, would grant authority to the proposed to new agency to create
not only a mandatory NAIS, but in essence, mandatory tracking for all food
products, apparently including produce, grains, virtually any "food or 
food producing animals."
>
This is NAIS on steroids.  In fact, it would subject local, small-scale
producers of vegetables and fruits to the same regulatory hell that NAIS
would impose on livestock owners.  Contact your federal legislators and 
let
them know you are aware of this provision, entirely opposed to it, and 
will be watching its progress.
>
Again, we all owe a great debt to Sue Karber for ferreting out this 
obscure
provision.  And we might well wonder why some of the national farming
"interest groups" to which we pay dues and which are supposedly employing
Washington lobbyists to look out for our interests, did not find this
provision and bring it to our attention.
>
The full texts of the relevant Senate and House bill provisions (which are
identical) are set forth below.
>
Mary Zanoni
315-386-3199
>
>
>
>
S.654
Safe Food Act of 2007 (Introduced in Senate)
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----
>
SEC. 210. TRACEBACK.
>
(a) In General- The Administrator, in order to protect the public health,
shall establish requirements for a national system for tracing food and 
food
producing animals from point of origin to retail sale, subject to 
subsection
(b).
>
(b) Applicability- Traceability requirements shall--
>
(1) be established in accordance with regulations and guidelines issued by
the Administrator; and
>
(2) apply to food production facilities and food establishments.
>
(c) Relationship to Country of Origin Labeling- Nothing contained in this
section prevents or interferes with implementation of the country of 
origin
labeling requirements of subtitle D of the Agricultural Marketing Act of
1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638 et seq.).
>
>
>
>
>
H.R.1148
Safe Food Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----
>
SEC. 210. TRACEBACK.
>
(a) In General- The Administrator, in order to protect the public health,
shall establish requirements for a national system for tracing food and 
food
producing animals from point of origin to retail sale, subject to 
subsection
(b).
>
(b) Applicability- Traceability requirements shall--
>
(1) be established in accordance with regulations and guidelines issued by
the Administrator; and
>
(2) apply to food production facilities and food establishments.
>
(c) Relationship to Country of Origin Labeling- Nothing contained in this
section prevents or interferes with implementation of the country of 
origin
labeling requirements of subtitle D of the Agricultural Marketing Act of
1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638 et seq.).
>