Dad,
I thought you might like to know that Congress is trying to rush through a bill
which would create all sorts of new hoops for farmers to jump through. Here is
a link to the legislation:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.875:
Here are some excerpts which make the effects of this legislation very clear:
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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term `food production facility' means any
farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined
animal-feeding operation.
SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.
(a) Authorities- In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the
purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect
to food production facilities, to--
(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United
States and in foreign countries to determine if they are operating in
compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;
(2) review food safety records as required to be kept by the
Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;
(3) set good practice standards to protect the public and animal
health and promote food safety;
(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants,
products, or the environment, as appropriate; and
(5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and
farm practices.
(b) Inspection of Records- A food production facility shall permit the
Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable
times and in a reasonable manner, to have access to and ability to copy all
records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment in any
format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary
to assist the Administrator--
(1) to determine whether the food is contaminated, adulterated, or
otherwise not in compliance with the food safety law; or
(2) to track the food in commerce.
(c) Regulations- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture
and representatives of State departments of agriculture, shall promulgate
regulations to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe
production of food by food production facilities. Such regulations shall--
(1) consider all relevant hazards, including those occurring
naturally, and those that may be unintentionally or intentionally introduced;
(2) require each food production facility to have a written food
safety plan that describes the likely hazards and preventive controls
implemented to address those hazards;
(3) include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and
storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients,
hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;
(4) include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum
standards related to the animal's health, feed, and environment which bear on
the safety of food for human consumption;
(5) provide a reasonable period of time for compliance, taking into
account the needs of small businesses for additional time to comply;
(6) provide for coordination of education and enforcement activities
by State and local officials, as designated by the Governors of the respective
States; and
(7) include a description of the variance process under subsection
(d) and the types of permissible variances which the Administrator may grant
under such process.
(d) Variances- States and foreign countries that export produce intended
for consumption in the United States may request from the Administrator
variances from the requirements of the regulations under subsection (c). A
request shall--
(1) be in writing;
(2) describe the reasons the variance is necessary;
(3) describe the procedures, processes, and practices that will be
followed under the variance to ensure produce is not adulterated; and
(4) contain any other information required by the Administrator.
(e) Approval or Disapproval of Variances- If the Administrator determines
after review of a request under subsection (d) that the requested variance
provides equivalent protections to those promulgated under subsection (c), the
Administrator may approve the request. The Administrator shall deny a request
if it is--
(1) not sufficiently detailed to permit a determination;
(2) fails to cite sufficient grounds for allowing a variance; or
(3) does not provide reasonable assurances that the produce will not
be adulterated.
(f) Enforcement- The Administrator may coordinate with the agency or
department designated by the Governor of each State to perform activities to
ensure compliance with this section.
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Basically, if this bill is signed into law, there will be a new agency (as if
the FDA, EPA, Dept. of Agriculture, etc. aren't enough) which will require all
"food production facilities" to document their every action, to have a "written
food safety plan," and to submit automatically to random inspections of any
facilities, documents, etc. (including "monitoring and surveillance of animals,
plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate"???? When exactly would
that be "appropriate?").
Share this with the rest of the family and send it on to others, this is
something that we should be calling/writing our representatives about. Just
what we need - more regulation, more overhead costs, and more taxation.
-Matt
