permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

On 12/2/2010 3:44 PM, jamesdavid Sneed wrote:
> I think it would help all concerned if anyone who knows how to locate
> a copy of what actually passed the senate, with amendments, could let
> us know where to read it. It has changed so much over the year that
> many of us may be debating moot points, or conversely, may not
> realize how dangerous that (or any) legislation really is. It is a
> pain in the ass to read entire bills, but since it is obvious that
> those in congress don't read before they vote, we really need to take
> that time. One thing I do know is this: It doesn't matter a whit if
> republicans or democrats control any house or branch of government.
> Corporate greed via lobbying transcends all lines, blue, red, green
> or whatever. Labels become indistinct as soon as we apply them, and
> thus obscure the truth.

This link:
http://www.tester.senate.gov/Newsroom/pr_111810_foodsafety.cfm

Fwd: [Market Farming] U.S. Senator Jon Tester: Tester’s amendment for 
family-scale producers now part of Food Safety Bill
U.S. Senator Jon Tester
http://www.tester.senate.gov/Newsroom/pr_111810_foodsafety.cfm

Tester’s amendment for family-scale producers now part of Food Safety Bill

Senator: ‘Time to get this bill passed and strengthen food safety for all’

Thursday, November 18, 2010

(U.S. SENATE) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester has reached an agreement with 
consumer groups and the bipartisan authors of the
Senate’s Food Safety Bill to include his amendment to protect 
family-scale food producers from expensive federal
paperwork and unnecessary new regulations.

“This important legislation is shaping up to be a much better bill with 
the inclusion of my amendment for family-scale
producers, and it protects the jobs of family farmers and ranchers and 
processers,” Tester said today during a speech to
the Senate.  “It really is time to get this bill passed and strengthen 
food safety for all Americans.”

Under Tester’s amendment, food producers who sell their goods directly 
toconsumers and have less than $500,000 in
annual sales would not be subject to the onerous new requirements 
designed for industrial-scale food producers.
Family-scale producers would, however, continue to be overseen by local 
andstate food safety and health agencies.

Negotiators have agreed on the following minor revisions to include 
Tester’s amendment in the Food Safety Bill:

    * New language that gives U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 
authority to withdraw an exemption from a farm or
facility that has been associated with a food-borne illness outbreak.
    * The distance from a facility or farm that is eligible to be a 
local “qualified end-user” has been reduced from
400 miles to 275 miles, or within the same state.

Tester says his amendment is a major victory for family agriculture, 
safer food, and for the local food movement.

“We deal with consolidation in our energy sector, we deal with 
consolidation in our banking sector,” Tester said.  “We
have consolidation in our food industry too. The fact is we need to not 
encourage that consolidation.  I think if we can
get more locally grown food—if we can get producers to connect up the 
consumers eyeball to eyeball—that’s a positive
thing.  And I don’t want to diminish their ability to do this.”

Although Tester is himself a family-scale grain farmer, Tester’s own 
farmdoes not qualify under the amendment because
he does not sell grain directly to consumers.

The Senate is currently debating the Food Safety Bill.  A final vote on 
thebill, including Tester’s amendment, could
happen as early as today.

RESOURCES

    * Tester’s Food Safety Bill resource page is now available online 
at: http://tester.senate.gov/foodsafety
    * A summary of Tester’s revised amendment is online HERE
    * The latest version of Tester’s amendment is online HERE
    * A YouTube video of Tester’s Senate floor speech is online HERE


Why the Tester Amendment?

“[Family-scale producers] are small. There’s a pride of ownership 
therethat is real.  They raise food; they don’t raise
a commodity as happens when these operations get bigger and bigger. And 
there is a direct customer relationship with
that customer or that farmer that means a lot.  And if a mistake is 
made, which rarely happens, it doesn’t impact
hundreds of thousands of people.  We know exactly where the problem was. 
 And we know exactly how to fix it.” –Senator
Jon Tester