Senate Bill 510

[Two Jay]

Anyone hear about this?  Do a Google search or you can be brave and YouTube but you may be hearing from a bunch of crazies.  Take a look.

[Sahib Punjabi]

Hey Too Jay,

Don't be too shocked just yet. Looks like a scare tactic. This is confirmed by Snopes - see below.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp


I guess what did happen via HR Bill 875 was an attempt to control "bad" practice by some growers...I'm all for that, after all, I would like to think that "safe practice" is being followed by growers when growing food :-)

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875

Let us know if you know otherwise.

God bless,

[TCLynx]

I've read up and written my senators. There is an amendment out there that would make this a better bill that would exempt the small local farms from the huge fees for inspections and stuff. Seeing as the small local farms selling direct to the public and restaurants are not where the food safety problems have been coming from. And quite frankly it isn't new laws that we need to make food safer, it is actually just a better job at enforcing the rules that are already in place that might make a difference. But sadly the officials are too overworked to inspect or shut down the problem industrial giants where the violations are happening, for some reason some one thinks our food would be safer if we make all the little farms that have not had cases of unsafe food out of business so the big guys that have been getting away with the violations all along don't have any competition.

Dang I've been in a ranty mood lately, sorry.

[Two Jay]

This is a ranty kinda subject.

Thanks for the post Sahib, checking that out now.

TCLynx said:

I've read up and written my senators. There is an amendment out there that would make this a better bill that would exempt the small local farms from the huge fees for inspections and stuff. Seeing as the small local farms selling direct to the public and restaurants are not where the food safety problems have been coming from. And quite frankly it isn't new laws that we need to make food safer, it is actually just a better job at enforcing the rules that are already in place that might make a difference. But sadly the officials are too overworked to inspect or shut down the problem industrial giants where the violations are happening, for some reason some one thinks our food would be safer if we make all the little farms that have not had cases of unsafe food out of business so the big guys that have been getting away with the violations all along don't have any competition.

Dang I've been in a ranty mood lately, sorry.

[L F]

It has been a year or so since I read a proposal on food safty but I told my wife we could not invite anyone over for dinner and eat any thing out of the garden. The above referenced law was not the same one I read. I guess them politicans just stack up bills hoping one will pass. If you control the food you control the people.I'm well aware of the GPS idea about cattle as I run a small time cattle operation.This has been talked about for about 5 years and the people pushing appear to be large corps. that sell sell products to ranches or stockholder slaterplants.I would like to know how much they contributed to the election campaing. Has any one noticed how many hertige seed companys have been bought out? Part of the reason I'm looking at an AP system.

[Sahib Punjabi]

Hey Two Jay,

Guess I never figured the cunning ways of the powers that be...now SB 510 seems to be making its way in the system...I am a little scared at the outcome..

I request all fellow Aquaponic buddies and every one else they can get to support to stop this or at least amend it!

S510 Food Safety Monetization Act 2010 is making it's way through
government now. It's a scary thought that growing your own food could
be made illegal. We would be totally reliant
on one company to supply us with all of our food.
...
It violates the human right to food and is like wanting to charge
people to breathe. It's being positioned as a Food Safety Act, but it's
really about taking away our rights and having complete control over
us.

http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/food-safety-legislation-head...

Push for Food Safety Leaves Out Important Amendment
A group of nearly two dozen industry, consumer, and public-health advocates call for a food-safety vote—now. But are we threatening the safest food sources in the process?

http://www.rodale.com/food-safety-0?page=0%2C1&cm_mmc=Huffingto...



Sahib Punjabi said:

Hey Too Jay,

Don't be too shocked just yet. Looks like a scare tactic. This is confirmed by Snopes - see below.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp


I guess what did happen via HR Bill 875 was an attempt to control "bad" practice by some growers...I'm all for that, after all, I would like to think that "safe practice" is being followed by growers when growing food :-)

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875

Let us know if you know otherwise.

God bless,

[Sahib Punjabi]

The “food safety bill” enjoys strong bipartisan support and is likely to receive over 90 Senate votes if it gets that far, but is being blocked from consideration by Sen. Coburn for budgetary reasons.

http://www.mainstreetinsider.org/90secondsummaries/?p=78



Sahib Punjabi said:

Hey Two Jay,

Guess I never figured the cunning ways of the powers that be...now SB 510 seems to be making its way in the system...I am a little scared at the outcome..

I request all fellow Aquaponic buddies and every one else they can get to support to stop this or at least amend it!

S510 Food Safety Monetization Act 2010 is making it's way through
government now. It's a scary thought that growing your own food could
be made illegal. We would be totally reliant
on one company to supply us with all of our food.
...
It violates the human right to food and is like wanting to charge
people to breathe. It's being positioned as a Food Safety Act, but it's
really about taking away our rights and having complete control over
us.

http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/food-safety-legislation-head...

Push for Food Safety Leaves Out Important Amendment
A group of nearly two dozen industry, consumer, and public-health advocates call for a food-safety vote—now. But are we threatening the safest food sources in the process?

http://www.rodale.com/food-safety-0?page=0%2C1&cm_mmc=Huffingto...



Sahib Punjabi said:

Hey Too Jay,

Don't be too shocked just yet. Looks like a scare tactic. This is confirmed by Snopes - see below.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp


I guess what did happen via HR Bill 875 was an attempt to control "bad" practice by some growers...I'm all for that, after all, I would like to think that "safe practice" is being followed by growers when growing food :-)

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875

Let us know if you know otherwise.

God bless,

[Sahib Punjabi]

Food-safety bill worries some small farms

http://www.theday.com/article/20101116/NWS01/311169921/-1/NWS

[Sahib Punjabi]

Food Safety Modernization Act: What Do You Think?

"Will S. 510 mean the end of backyard gardens and small farms, or will it force industrial agriculture to clean up its act?

The Senate vote on S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, is imminent, and opinions on the bill seem to vary widely. Some are calling the act the end of small, organic farms, seed saving, and backyard gardening. Others say it’s a critical measure to ensure that consumer food is safe in a world of factory farming."

read more...
http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/11/16/food-safety-modernization-act-...

[Sahib Punjabi]

Thanks to info received via David Hart, I would like to share with one and all (we still have a lot of work as you will read in the response by the "Big Agribusiness" in the second link).

November 18, 2010: Senator Jon Tester has reached an agreement with the authors of S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, to include a compromise version of the Tester-Hagan amendment in the bill.

This is a true grassroots victory, and would not have been possible without your support! Thank you to everyone who called their Senators, both during this week and the preceding months!!

The compromise amendment will exempt producers who gross less than half a million dollars and who sell more than half their products directly to consumers or "qualified end users" from the HARCP/ HACCP requirements and the produce safety standards. "Qualified end users" include restaurants and retailers who are either in-state or within 275 miles of the producer, and who purchase the food to sell directly to consumers.

more at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/food_safety_bills_09

Now please read : http://farmandranchfreedom.org/action-11-21-10
Agribusiness Shows Its True Colors!


Sahib Punjabi said:

Food Safety Modernization Act: What Do You Think?

"Will S. 510 mean the end of backyard gardens and small farms, or will it force industrial agriculture to clean up its act?

The Senate vote on S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, is imminent, and opinions on the bill seem to vary widely. Some are calling the act the end of small, organic farms, seed saving, and backyard gardening. Others say it’s a critical measure to ensure that consumer food is safe in a world of factory farming."

read more...
http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/11/16/food-safety-modernization-act-...

[Sahib Punjabi]

David v Goliath...yet again :(
Senate is expected to vote tonight on SB510...including the agreed Tester amendment. The "Big Boys" are now threatening to withdraw their support for this bill and doing all in their power to stop this amendment...Western Growers, representing California fruit and vegetable farmers, along with 19 other large produce groups, withdrew their support last week, accusing Tester of waging "ideological war" against large farms by implying that only small farms grow genuine food.

Tester replied, "I can't imagine they're concerned about competition from the guy who takes his food to market in a wheelbarrow."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/27/MN6P1GG...

Other interesting posts :

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/11/the_federal_farming_power_gr...

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/11/why-local-food-movement-oppos...

[Sahib Punjabi]

s510 Update :

"UPDATE 2: The cloture motion on the substitute amendment passed Monday evening, 69-26. Following that vote, the Senate rejected two amendments related to the 1099 health care provision and adjourned for the night. Things will pick back up tomorrow morning with a final vote likely in the early afternoon.

UPDATE: It’s now sounding like the final vote may be pushed back until Tuesday morning. In the unanimous-consent agreement governing the debate of the bill, Coburn has been given up to four hours to debate his amendments, and he is planning on using all of his allotted time. In order to avoid staying in session past midnight to vote on this, word is they’ll stop tonight after the 1099 amendments and pick up at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning with the Coburn amendments and the final vote on passage."


http://www.opencongress.org/articles/view/2114-Food-Safety-Bill-Sch...

[Paul Letby]

Thanks for keeping us up to date Sahib. I'm watching. We Canadians have a sometimes unfortunate habit of adopting many things the Americans do. I said sometimes unfortunate! :)