permaculture

[jamesdavid Sneed <harvestcircle@hotmail.com>]

Perhaps the crux of the problem lies within the description and duties of 
"the secretary" and any other appointed official. An early version of the 
bill (and maybe the one that passed) allowed nearly unlimited power to both 
the secretary of ag and the position that has been dubbed "food afety czar". 
Have any of the amendments changed this?
 
> Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 22:51:59 -0500
> From: venaurafarm@bellsouth.net
> To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] Major Victory for family farmers, sustainable 
> agriculture: Food Safety Bill Passes with Family Farm Protections
> 
> 
> On 12/1/2010 5:16 PM, Gasper Family Farm wrote:
> > Its not a major victory at all. The so called protections for small
> > farms have major loopholes and will present zero resistance to the
> > FDA in their ongoing effort to destroy the last vestiges of small
> > farms in this country.
> 
> Digest this: the new food safety act (and some very weird rumors) – 
> Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs
> http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/12/01/food-safety-act/?hpt=C2
> 
> <....>
> "Senator Jon Tester of Montana, however, tells Eatocracy that this bill 
> – with an amendment he co-authored, stating that food producers would 
> not be subject to new federal requirements if they sell the majority of 
> their food directly to consumers within their state, or within a 
> 275-mile radius of where it was produced, and have less than $500,000 
> per year in sales – is a “win for anyone who eats food. Small processors 
> win, farmers win, and even the big guys win because people will have 
> faith in their product.” He adds, “This bill is designed to work. It’s 
> not one size fits all.”
> 
> These processors would still be responsible for demonstrating that they 
> have identified potential hazards and are implementing preventive 
> controls to address the hazards, or demonstrating to the FDA that they 
> are in compliance with state or local food safety laws.
> 
> As a farmer himself – though he does not direct-market any of his food – 
> he is especially proud. “Over the last ten or more years, I’ve watched 
> farmers markets spring up across Montana. They’re becoming more popular 
> as people are eating locally-grown food. A farmer has to be able to look 
> his customer in the eye. If you passed the bill without the amendment, 
> it puts that trust at risk.”
> 
> And as to allegations - rampant on conspiracy theorist and Tea 
> Party-affiliated blogs as well as in our very own comments section - 
> that this bill will allow the FDA to toss grandma in the slammer for 
> sharing her jars of dilly beans, make home gardens illegal and appoint 
> the head of the Monsanto corporation as Emperor of All Seeds? Tester 
> laughs. “They’ve got to just read the bill. Unequivocally NO. That’s 
> just a case of using fear.”"
> <...>
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