Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[moon@ceva.net]

Conspiracies aside.this could be worse then NAIS.
Call your Senator Now.
An alert from our friendly nighborhood watchdog, (Joel Saliton  
etc.)VICFA:Virginia Independent Farmers and Consumers, similar asso's  
in many states now.
 Alert Attached:


VICFA
April 14, 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear VICFA Supporter,
We have received reports from Senate staffers that our call volume has  
been extremely
low.  By all reports, S. 510 will be debated by the Senate within  
days.  It is imperative
that we all call and make our voices heard.  Do not assume that  
someone else is
going to call. Call now!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Call both of your Senators. You can find their contact information at  
www.senate.gov
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103305814745&s=179&e=001GheUo8-JWVuLAx7T0SyGfe-SY1Z3bezUsNQ05e8pyUqBRvUjeBotm1I53Vz1S7Yy21ZMacrMZWNuL9Uxjsak2JHehRYVmTkJ8t9lANyh_is=],
or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or toll-free at  
877-210-5351. Ask
to speak with the staffer who handles food safety issues.
Tell the staffer that you want the Senator to amend S. 510.  If you  
get their voice
mail instead of the staff, leave the following message:
"Hi, my name is _____ and I live in ______. I'm very concerned that  
S.510, the FDA
Food Safety Modernization Act, imposes unfair and burdensome  
regulations on local
food sources, which are very important to me. The Committee version of  
the bill
does not address my concerns, and I urge the Senator to support the  
Tester Amendment
to exclude small facilities and direct marketing farms from the most  
burdensome
provisions of the bill. Please call me back at ____________."
TALKING POINTS
1.      The major foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls have all  
been caused by
the large, industrial food system. Small, local food producers have  
not contributed
to the highly publicized outbreaks. Yet S. 510 subjects the small,  
local food system
to the same, broad federal regulatory oversight that would apply to  
the industrial
food system.

2.      Increased regulations and record-keeping obligations could  
destroy small
 businesses that bring food to local communities. In particular, the  
reliance on
 hazard analysis and risk-based preventative controls, a concept  
similar to "HACCP",
will harm small food producers. HACCP has already proven to be an  
overwhelming burden
for a significant number of small, regional meat processors across the  
country.
Applying a HACCP-type system to small, local foods processors could  
drive them out
of business, reducing consumers' options to buy fresh, local foods.

3.      FDA does not belong on the farm. S. 510 calls for FDA  
regulation of how
farms grow and harvest produce. Given the agency's track record, it is  
likely that
the regulations will discriminate against small, organic, and  
diversified farms.
 The House version of the bill directs FDA to consider the impact of  
its rulemaking
on small-scale and diversified farms, but there are no enforceable  
limits or protections
for small diversified and organic farms from inappropriate and  
burdensome federal
rules.

4.      Food safety and security both come from a diversified, vibrant  
local food
system.  Local foods give consumers the choice to buy from producers  
they know,
creating a transparent, accountable food system without federal  
government oversight.
State and local laws, which are often size-specific rather than  
one-size-fits-all,
are more appropriate for local food producer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act now.  We cannot do this without your help.
Sincerely,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VICFA Communications
Virginia Independent Consumers
and Farmers Association



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