permaculture

["Amy Little" <amylittle@hvc.rr.com>]

To: Northeast Farm and Food Advocates

From: Amy Little, NESAWG

Action Alert and Mobilization TODAY

 

The Senate released its Continuing Resolution (appropriations legislation)
that includes "riders" on 2 big issues. Legislative riders are controversial
policy provisions that "hitch a ride" on appropriations bills that otherwise
deal only with funding matters in order to escape full and open debate in
the committee that has jurisdiction over the relevant policy area.

 

1. The "Biotech Rider" would undercut current biotech safety regulations by
striping federal courts of their authority to halt the sale and planting of
illegal, potentially hazardous GE crops, and compel the USDA to allow
continued planting of that same crop upon request regardless of its
potential to cause transgenic contamination in the food supply and
ecosystem.   

 

2.  The  "GIPSA Rider"  overrides the GIPSA rule that protects farmers from
abuses by the meat industry, by denying contract producers protection under
the Packers and Stockyards Act . 



TODAY, Senator Jon Tester plans to introduce two amendments that removes
those riders from them from the Continuing Resolution.  Many organizations
that participate in NESAWG are issuing alerts and mobilizing phone calls and
emails.

Please consider making a call to your Senator's DC office,  alerting your
lists to take action, and spreading the word quickly.  

You can find your Senators' phone numbers here:
<http://bit.ly/findmySenator> http://bit.ly/findmySenator

Many organizations have issued alerts, here is the basic message: 

"Please tell the Senator to vote for two amendments to the Continuing
Resolution introduced by Senator Jon Tester of Montana that protect family
farmers from abuses by the meat industry and support review of biotechnology
products.   These two amendments will stand up for family farmers, ensure
that independent producers have a fair chance in the livestock market, and
ensure that courts can review biotechnology products."  



>From the NSAC Blog:  This is an affront to justice and fairness for farmers
and is an unfortunate example of legislating on an appropriations bill on
behalf of a very few powerful corporations.

Phone calls are needed right now, but Food and Water watch has an on-line
letter campaign at
https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage
<https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAct
ion&id=591&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=w8pdw3w8a5.app340a%20>
&page=UserAction&id=591&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=w8pdw3w8a5.app340a

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amy Little, Organizer

NESAWG,  The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group

http://www.nesawg.org <http://www.nesawg.org/> 

845-255-0822 home office

845-853-3440 cell

amylittle@hvc.rr.com