H.R. 2749 The Food Safety Enhancement Act Passes

While it did pass, it did not take away our rights to farm, to grow food, to raise pastured livestock and our consumer choices. As a reading of the bill would show.

ok so did it ..or didn't it...really pass? and it still has to go to senate right?

It DID pass on the second vote.http://www.newsmax.com/politics/us_c...30/242154.html

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I read the bill word for word

no, it does not take away your right to farm, grow food, raise livestock

it does, however, take away your right to do it as you see fit, if you want to sell anything from your farm

did you read the cost? $500/yr
did you read the plans you have to have in place?
did you read how if they flash their badge on your front porch, you are required to give them access and Copies of all your records?
did you read what records you have to keep? and for how long?

these regulations will be crippling for small farms

and as for your "consumer choice"........do you wanna bet whether or not food prices will go sky high??

Yes, I read it. YOU didn't read the applicability section.

I read the entire thing

there are some exemptions for small farms & fisheries, but if you keep reading down further, even IF you are exempted from some of the act, you are NOT exempted from record keeping, etc....

It says your exempted if your raising livestock, Thats about it. Of course livestock processing is already covered. So what difference did that make?


The fisherman are exempt till they sell it. So they are exempt while at sea. How good is that, fortunate for the government inspector they don't have to ride on those Crab boats.

A friend of my wifes just emailed her and she already has a person wandering around her farm counting cows and chickens, and asking questions.

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I am infuriated right now....It's not about America. It's about them.
They don't care about healthcare...they have their own.

Anyway, what do you do when you can't get through to your Senators and Representatives? I get voicemail or some young kid answered and promises to tell them I called......whatever.

Sorry for the rant, am feeling a little hopeless right now.

Lonesomelov,
Do you want to know what you can do. YOU ORGANIZE. You get together with your neighbors, find a consensus, and then present it to your GOVERNMENT.

How do you start? Start with a petition. At least, let someone know that many people are dissatisfied. Get all your neighbors, and everyone else, to sign it.

Then, find your leadership. Get a neighbor who is trustworthy, charismatic, smart, and with DRIVE.

Then, create a group, a non-profit, dedicated to effect government. Be prepared to make your issue happen through LEGAL channels. That means you're going to need to use attorneys. THAT'S THE ONLY TRUE AND EFFECTIVE WAY. You'll need to solicit donations, and get money to pay for the attorneys.

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY SMALL FARMERS WILL PREVAIL. YOU NEED TO ORGANIZE AND GET ASSOCIATED WITH A GROUP, NOW, NOW, NOW!!!!

Hurray for the Democrats! I don't want to be just like them! &*##)#$&^

I guess within the next four years they will take our rights to vote away as well. Then we'd be stuck with them forever! I'd rather be at war and poor and free than be at war and poor and freedomless.

All those that voted in the democrats should be thankful for the "Change".

All I can say is told you so.

Dingell, the former Energy and Commerce chairman, said the bill passed Thursday was the fruit of decades of effort to address food safety.

“It is old enough to vote,” Dingell said about the bill. “It is over 21 years old.”


This is not new. It just so happens that is gets to pass now. The spinach, tomatoes and that stupid idiot peanut butter company have given it a huge helping hand.

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the farm blog
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So how is that " change " working out for You now ?
Being from Taxachusettes , I don't have to waste my time looking at the list to see how my idiots voted .
Bob

oops!

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this message has probably been edited to correct typos, spelling errors and to improve grammar...

"All that is gold does not glitter..."

I work in a factory where I shudder every time some idiot engineer, who has never worked on a production line in his/her life; comes up with an "improved" method for better product/cost savings. This is what we are seeing in our food production. Instead of doing a better job keeping out the adulterated import foods, they will now tighten the noose on American food production. Bad enough that our farms are failing in record numbers in recent years because of energy costs, disease and bad weather.....now they must deal with more poorly thought out/researched regulations.

I have what may be an unpopular theory. I feel we have always had food bourne illnesses that have affected many people over areas as wide as the distrubution of the foodstuffs. It is just that now we have the testing to determine what the agent is, a much more effective transportation system to spread the taint and a media that loves a tradgedy to spread and make money from the hype. Oh, and a government that is *ellbent on saving us from ourselves......as long as they can tax us for the cures! Yes, I believe in regulation(and enforcement) to protect from the dishonest; but I also believe that immunities are developed and strenghtened by exposure to the natural world. I am going to be walking around all day doing my outside chores(feeding my flocks and garden work) mumbling under my breath--" happy medium, happy medium...."

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" As needs-MUST!!"--- in other words..a gal does what a gal has too!

"A friend of my wifes just emailed her and she already has a person wandering around her farm counting cows and chickens, and asking questions."

I doubt this has anything to do with the bill. It's probably the county tax assessor checking on her property tax statement. That's what they do out here.

Brian
Homegrown Acres
HomegrownAcres.com

You know, I've read the entire bill that passed and it isn't nearly as bad now as it was when first proposed. Most small farms are exempted, even many farms that sell directly to consumers. Meat, poultry and egg processing is exempted (they remain regulated under current USDA rules). It looks like it mostly applies to commercial farms and processing plants that deal in vegetables.

"even IF you are exempted from some of the act, you are NOT exempted from record keeping, etc...." Not true. If you qualify under the definition of a "farm", then you don't qualify under the definition of a "facility"; therefore you are exempt.

"The fisherman are exempt till they sell it. So they are exempt while at sea." Not true. All fishing boats and fish farms are exempted unless they also engage in processing on the boat / farm.

"Facilities" are regulated. Here is the definition of a facility:

"(1) DEFINITION OF FACILITY- Paragraph (1) of section 415(b) (21 U.S.C. 350d(b)) is amended to read as follows:
`(1)(A) The term `facility' means any factory, warehouse, or establishment (including a factory, warehouse, or establishment of an importer) that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food.
`(B) Such term does not include farms; private residences of individuals; restaurants; other retail food establishments; nonprofit food establishments in which food is prepared for or served directly to the consumer; or fishing vessels (except such vessels engaged in processing as defined in section 123.3(k) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulations)."

Here is the definition of a farm:

"(D)(i) The term `farm' means an operation in one general physical location devoted to the growing and harvesting of crops, the raising of animals (including seafood), or both.
`(ii) Such term includes--
`(I) such an operation that packs or holds food, provided that all food used in such activities is grown, raised, or consumed on such farm or another farm under the same ownership;
`(II) such an operation that manufactures or processes food, provided that all food used in such activities is consumed on such farm or another farm under the same ownership;
`(III) such an operation that sells food directly to consumers if the annual monetary value of sales of the food products from the farm or by an agent of the farm to consumers exceeds the annual monetary value of sales of the food products to all other buyers;
`(IV) such an operation that manufactures grains or other feed stuffs that are grown and harvested on such farm or another farm under the same ownership and are distributed directly to 1 or more farms for consumption as food by humans or animals on such farm; and
`(V) a fishery, including a wild fishery, an aquaculture operation or bed, a fresh water fishery, and a saltwater fishery.
`(iii) Such term does not include such an operation that receives manufactured feed from another farm as described in clause (ii)(IV) if the receiving farm releases the feed to another farm or facility under different ownership.
`(iv) The term `harvesting' includes washing, trimming of outer leaves of, and cooling produce."

So, calm down, folks. Unless you have a large commercial spinach farm next to a cattle feedlot, you may be okay.

Precisely!

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