Local food lovers- UNITE! STOP HR-875
We have been receiving e-mails from a few members (thanks to all who sent them along) regarding a proposed bill in Congress that would amongst other things, affect small farmers. The food police are around the corner, proposing a new Food Safety Administration, which would be under the Department of Health & Human Services, even though the government already has a US Department of Agriculture!!!!!! The bill is sponsored by Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), whose husband works either works for or consults to Monsanto (depending on what internet reference you see)! As Michael Olson from MetroFarm so aptly put it "HR-875 would give the federal government dictatorial authority over the entire food chain of the USA."
We are posting this as an alert to everyone (whethere you are either a current member of our community supported farm, have supported us in the past or are currently interested in joining). We urge you to contact your representatives & senators to oppose HR-875 & S-425. A great resource to do this is go to: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_HR_875.html. From there you can vote, alert your friends, contact your representative as well as leave comments. Current votes by the American public are 5% for and 95% against! Yes!!!! At least the American public understands it, though our legislatures don't (they probably don't even read the bills they vote on).
With this new bill - We will no longer be a farm- we will become a FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY and have to comply with their regulations. The term ‘food production facility’ is defined in the bill as "any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation". This bill will make sure that each food production facility is complying to their "science-based minimum standards" which include regulating minimum standards "with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;"
In researching this on the internet, we have found a few great posts that shed some more light on the bill:
If you want to read the actual HR bill in it's entirety go to: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875
Knowing where your food comes from is probably the most important reason that people join CSAs. With CSAs, you get to know the farmers and their growing practices. You can put the face of your farmer on the food that gets delivered each week. We can think of anything safer than that!
Just so you know - We WILL continue to farm, at least up to the point that they come & arrest Farmer Rich for growing & delivering Locally Grown, natural, not sprayed produce for those of you who wish to eat such produce. We will continue to buy heirloom seed until they outlaw that too (there is actually a corporate movement to criminalize seed banking - Monsanto again!!). With your support we are a sustainable farm. What the "big-boys" & bureaucrats want is for you to eat GM (genetically modified) food and if they still allow farmers, the farmers can only buy their seed from Monsanto or any other unregulated biotech industry who produces genetically modified or genetically engineered seed. Farmers will no longer be able to engage in traditional farm practices if these new laws get passed!
Thanks for listening...... and always we appreciate receiving feedback.
