New Food Bill Threatens to Destroy Small Farms

The Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749) which was scheduled for Congressional consideration the week of July 30 threatens the existence of small farmers everywhere. I don't think (wait, I KNOW) the government doesn't get it. They are just reacting out of fear to recent events where our food supply has been compromised. From the E. Coli in the California spinach to the Salmonella in the Georgia peanut butter plant, food practices are getting lazy and people are getting sick. So instead of punishing the ones who are guilty, the government is trying to impose new regulations for ALL farms. But in this situation, the smaller, cleaner, more sustainable farms will be put out of business.

According to the bill, the FDA will have the power to regulate all farms and farm produce to purge America of the food borne E. Coli bacteria.

"Under the terms of the bill, crops must be grown in sterile areas, surrounded by 450 foot buffers, so that they are not exposed to other vegetation, runoff water, birds, beasts, or wildlife of any kind. To create such sterile farms, ponds will be poisoned; wetlands drained; and streams re-routed to safeguard the crops from untreated water. Trees will be bulldozed from agricultural corridors to protect the fields from bird droppings. Fields will be lined with poison-filled tubes to kill rodents. All children under five will be prohibited from stepping foot on farmland or tilled soil for fear of leaking diapers. A crow landing in a cornfield will mandate the destruction of the entire corn crop."

"If passed, the Act will grant the FDA the authority to regulate how crops are raised and harvested; to quarantine a geographic area; to make warrant-less searches of business records; and to establish a national food tracing system. It will impose annual registration fees of $500 on all facilities holding, processing, or manufacturing food. Farmers who fail to comply with the new regulations will be subjected to fines and criminal prosecution."

The small farmer will not be able to comply with these protocols. The small farmer does not need militant sterilization but will be subjected to it and in turn will lose half their crop due to natural occurring circumstances. If they don't subscribe to this ridiculous level of sterilization, they will be put out of business. I ask WHY? When the outbreak of all these food borne diseases is the fault of BIG AGRA and their reckless abandonment of safe and humane farming practices!! Doesn't the government see that? Are they Blind? I guess so and its truly sad.

There are opinions on the other side as well:

"Several scientists suggest that many of the protocols in the new legislation – such as the removing vegetation near field crops –could make food less safe. Vegetation and wetlands are a landscape's lungs and kidneys, filtering out not just fertilizers, sediments and pesticides, but also pathogens. Researchers from the University of California found that vegetation buffers can remove as much as 98 percent of E. coli from surface water. They also warn that rodents often prefer cleared areas for their picnics."

So let me put it this way, our freedoms are being stripped away when it comes to how we eat. Our choices will become more limited if this Act gets passed in the House (which its supposed to). Only the very wealthy will be able to afford fresh organic produce and pastured meats. The rest of us will be forced to eat mass produced, canned or processed foods. If this concerns you, call your local congressman and voice your opinion. Too many of us think that our opinion doesn't matter but the government is SUPPOSED to serve the people. Lets try and make it work that way. Call your state congressman and tell them that this Act will wind up making our food supply more dangerous. Its amazing to me how little we know about the legislation that is being passed right under our noses. Legislation that will have far reaching effects is virtually under the radar and we will wind up paying the price.

Exerpts taken from www.familysercuritymatters.org