Senate Bill 510

[digitS']

Well, this is why we need the "Fourth Estate." We can't all be law professionals or investigators or have some on our staff.

Trying to find "fair and impartial" seems just about impossible these days but it is a citizen's responsibility in a democracy to do the best we can to be informed.

Here is the Wall Street Journal reporting on the current situation with the Food-Safety Bill.

And, here is Grist.

I don't know how to get farther apart on the journalistic spectrum than these two news organizations without being really, really out there on the fringe.

Steve

 

[journey11]

The debate series Grist has is particularly enlightening. Be sure to check those topics out.

What I am gathering is that small farmers would not be held to the new regulations under the Tester amendment (and the original bill does not seem to take direct aim at them anyway) and most are protesting that it will be a bad thing for their bottomline if their product is not considered as "safe" as their larger industry counterparts.

I've read about half of the actual bill so far and it seems to focus more on the path of distribution (and the need to keep records on that so that they can trace food-borne illness outbreaks back to their source much quicker). The belief is that would be a GOOD thing for the American people as an average of 5,000 people die from complications of food-borne illness annually.

Local farmers making sales at the farmer's market lack the distribution issues that are at the heart of this bill. They grow, harvest and package it all themselves, down the final product. It's direct farm to consumer. There is nothing to track.

I also don't see anything anywhere to support the hype that this will reach into our own backyards, to food that is produced for personal consumption, or anything relating to the saving of OP seeds.

Like Ridgerunner, I want to see those who believe that it will have that effect point out directly the text they are citing to support their position.

I think it's a bit of paranoia to conclude that the gov't wants to or even can manage to regulate all that (on smallest level.) I don't think they have the manpower, and I don't think they could get away with it or even intend to do it.

 

[hoodat]

I origanally thought it was just a sloppily written bill and they would never be dumb enough to try to enforce the seed saver and home growing bans but when I look at the ridiculous mess TSA is in (and refusing to budge) it makes me wonder. Are the food nazis in charge now?

Will we be seeing people getting six months for possesion of a garden tool? They'll get my hoe when they pry it out of my cold dead hand.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I origanally thought it was just a sloppily written bill and they would never be dumb enough to try to enforce the seed saver and home growing bans but when I look at the ridiculous mess TSA is in (and refusing to budge) it makes me wonder. Are the food nazis in charge now?

Will we be seeing people getting six months for possesion of a garden tool? They'll get my hoe when they pry it out of my cold dead hand.

Same here hoodat.. Lets say this law does pass where no one can grow, produce, eat or sell produce. What about people like me who do indoor hydroponics? How can they catch indoor growers?

 

[beavis]

Maybe we will need to be under cover like Marijuana producers.

I can see it now.

Hey man, check out beav down the street, he's growing some killer beets man.

Don't tell the cops, but he also has some onions that will set you free!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Lets say this law does pass where no one can grow, produce, eat or sell produce. What about people like me who do indoor hydroponics? How can they catch indoor growers?

If you bother to read the bill, you will clearly see it does not apply unless you are into commercial agriculture. The exemption clearly says if you grow it you can eat it. If you read what the current debate is about, it is about making that exemption broader, not narrower.

If anybody can point out something concrete in the bill that threatens your ability to grow your own produce for your table or save your seeds for your use, please point it out. Specific references, not blind platitudes.

In my opinion, anybody that can read this definition Facilities that manufacture/process food, provided that all food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership, then reads that this qualifies as exempt from the provisions of this bill, then tells you that this bill threatens your ability ot save your own seeds or grow your own produce has credibility worth as much as a pinch of snuff in a windstorm.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I was just joking around.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Ok here are more links I found

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/s-510-is-hissing-in-the-grass/


ETA: http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-industry-news/2010/11/17/food-safety-legislation.aspx

 

[Ridgerunner]

This is one of the quotes from one of your links.

if it passes. S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.

Please point out in the bill itself something to support this. Until you can do that, this statement has no validity or credibility.

To me, this statement seems designed to fire up the true believers and make the topic so emotonal that rational discussion on the bill itself is not possible. I'll mention a couple of clues. One, the statement itself is designed to scare. The thought that the purpose of this bill is to appoint a specific person to become dictator over many facits of our private lives just does not pass muster. It is so impractical that it fails the commom sense test. Two, the use of Monsanto. Monsanto is a buzz word used to represent everything bad, mean, and evil in big agriculture. There are a lot of different segments to the seed, food supplements, food, and farming industry other than Monsanto, but Monsanto has become a code word meaning grab your pitch forks, take to the streets, and take no prisoners. Any time I see the code word Monsanto used, the author really has to work to maintain credibility in my opinion.

The second article is pretty good. It makes a rational attempt to describe what the bill is for, possible flaws, and how they are being adressed. Some of the comments that follow are downright funny to me.

As I mentioned earlier, it is very possible they are overreaching. A one size fits all is seldom a good approach. That's why most of these bills have a sliding scale, the bigger the operation, the more severe the possible impact, the more stringent the requirements. I think that a sliding scale is appropriate here. It is tough to reach a good balance in food safety versus what is reasonable. That is why I think looking at the specific issues is important and that throwing out wild, inflamatory, unsupported, untrue allegations that don't allow rational debate on the actual merits of the proposal is doing a disservice to our country and its citizens.

 

[vfem]

I origanally thought it was just a sloppily written bill and they would never be dumb enough to try to enforce the seed saver and home growing bans but when I look at the ridiculous mess TSA is in (and refusing to budge) it makes me wonder. Are the food nazis in charge now?

Will we be seeing people getting six months for possession of a garden tool? They'll get my hoe when they pry it out of my cold dead hand.

Yeah we pretty much voted them in charge this early november! This is RIDICULOUS!!!!

I have MANY things I could say on this... it does appear to be a stopping block for any of us individuals to grow or any small farm to fit into larger pants... of course there are bigger issues at hand, but that alone should stop the bill. It is an American right to grow without being stopped. We all have dreams.

Someone made the comment that these people are "free to grow..." and they can just "pay what everyone else pays to grow. They are 'left out' of the bill for being small too, so whats the problem?"

The problem is simple... where's the line? With the government... the line is very blatant, and very THERE. Sample....

Food Stamps: It all has to do with your family # & income to the PENNY. If WE (my family) make an extra $100 a month we lose our help. That's not so bad. However, my neighbor missed getting food stamps that they really need, by $14 too much a month. If you make $5 extra you are subject to lose them.

Could you image a 'small farm' going along life being happy the way things are... then they get a few extra cows, and buy 25 more acres. The next year they make an extra $35k! Of course the farmer is thrilled until the government walks on their land and begins the regulations that will shut him down because he passed the governments line of what the consider big ag. Why? Because that farmer had one good year, and made $1000 over the limit! Now it will cost him $25k in fees!

Its obvious what this bill would do... forget what the bill says it wants to do. If it threatens to set limits on anyone who they claim they are leaving out then its just another governments bold faced LIE!