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- From: Leigh Hauter <lh AT pressroom.com>
- To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
- Subject: [Market-farming] profits or safe food
- Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 00:38:45 -0500
Title: profits or safe food
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL:
DECRYS ELEVATING ECONOMIC INTERESTS OF
MEAT COMPANY OVER THE PUBLIC HEALTH
DECRYS ELEVATING ECONOMIC INTERESTS OF
MEAT COMPANY OVER THE PUBLIC HEALTH
A court ruling last week in Nebraska has dealt a devastating
blow to the nation's program for policing meat safety. It calls into
question the government's authority to shut down meat plants for
repeatedly violating sanitary standards designed to combat bacterial
contamination and outbreaks of food-borne illness.
Judge Joseph Bataillon of the Federal District Court rebuffed an
Agriculture Department effort to shut down the operations of Nebraska
Beef, an Omaha slaughterhouse with numerous citations for violating
standard sanitary operating procedures. The plant was chosen for
special scrutiny after the discovery last year of deadly E. coli
bacteria in ground beef produced by a Nebraska Beef customer. In
granting a temporary restraining ordering blocking the closure, the
judge elevated the economic interests of local employer over public
health while questioning the government's power to act under current
law.
All this has a familiar ring. Just two years ago, in a different
case, a federal appeals court in New Orleans declared that the
Agriculture Department lacked the power to close a Dallas beef
processing plant that had failed three rounds of tests for Salmonella
contamination in a year. Unfortunately, Congress and the Bush
administration failed to heed the message of that misguided decision
by passing a law that reaffirms the government's authority to enforce
health standards.
Reacting to the new ruling, the Agriculture Department has
decided to reach a settlement with the meat packer that allows the
plant to continue to operate. It is hard to fault the department's
lawyers for wanting to avoid a drawn-out court fight likely to result
in an adverse final decision by the judge. But even now, Agriculture
Secretary Ann Veneman refuses to acknowledge the grievous damage
inflicted on her department's food safety efforts by the courts'
suggestion that the government has no authority to close a plant
based on public health considerations. She still hesitates to get
behind legislation sponsored by Senators Tom Harkin of Iowa and
Richard Durbin of Illinois Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut
and others that would close this and other gaping holes in the
nation's food safety system. That is inexcusable.
To her credit, Ms. Veneman has said she will seek $42 million
more in funding next year for increased microbial testing of meat and
poultry and other needed food safety initiatives. But more money and
good intentions are no substitute for strong legislative action
clarifying the government's power to enforce stringent safety
standards.
-
[Market-farming] profits or safe food,
Leigh Hauter, 02/03/2003
- [Market-farming] Court rulings on meat safety, Rick Williams, 02/03/2003
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