Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

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Food Safety Action Alert: Call Today to Protect Family Farms and Sustainable Agriculture

North Carolina Senators are on the Committee Drafting Food Safety Legislation!

A federal food safety bill (S 510) that could be a devastating threat to family farm value added processing, local and regional food systems, conservation and wildlife protection, and organic farming will go to the Senate floor next Wednesday, November 18.

North Carolinians are in a unique position to make this bill safe for local, organic farming, since NC Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr are on the Health Committee, which will be take up the legislation next week. A bad version of this legislation, HR 2749, has already been approved by the House of Representatives.

We need a food safety bill that cracks down on corporate bad actors without erecting new barriers to the growing healthy food movement based on small and mid-sized family farms, sustainable and organic production methods, and more local and regional food sourcing.

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. We've worked with them to fashion five common sense amendments to S 510. We need your help to make them happen! This is our last best chance to affect the final legislation.

Step 1: Make a Call

Please Call Senator Hagan's office at (202) 224-6342 and Senator Burr’s office at (202) 224-3154 and ask for the aide in charge of food safety issues. Tell them you are a constituent and are calling to ask the Senator to support the amendments proposed by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the National Organic Coalition to the Food Safety Modernization Act. Specifically, ask your Senator to support the following key changes to the bill:

The bill should protect small farms and food businesses from any requirement to have “Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls.” Such mandates are proven to drive small farms and business out of business, and so increase reliance on the industrial food processing facilities that have been the main source of food borne illness outbreaks.
The bill should direct FDA to ease compliance for organic farmers by integrating the FDA standards with the organic certification rules. FDA compliance should not jeopardize a farmer's ability to be organically certified under USDA's National Organic Program.
The bill must provide small and mid-sized family farms that market value-added farm products with training and technical assistance in developing food safety plans for their farms.
The bill should insist that FDA food safety standards and guidance will not contradict federal conservation, environmental, and wildlife standards and practices, and not force the farmer to choose which federal agency to obey and which to reject.
Farmers who sell directly to consumers should not be required to keep records and be part of a federal "traceaback" system, and all other farms should not be required to maintain records electronically or any records beyond the first point of sale past the farmgate.

Step 2: Report Your Call

Let us know how your Senator responded by clicking here and typing in a brief report.

Step 3: Learn More

For more information on the Senate Food Safety bill, please see NSAC's Talking Points here and its Policy Brief Food Safety on the Farm.



	Home CFSA Member Login 2011 Sustainable Agriculture Conference Find local food Internship Referral Service Sustainable Ag Resources About Us Join CFSA! Projects Event Calendar Blog Store Contact Join us on acebook Follow us on witter	take action! Food Safety Action Alert: Call Today to Protect Family Farms and Sustainable Agriculture North Carolina Senators are on the Committee Drafting Food Safety Legislation! A federal food safety bill (S 510) that could be a devastating threat to family farm value added processing, local and regional food systems, conservation and wildlife protection, and organic farming will go to the Senate floor next Wednesday, November 18. North Carolinians are in a unique position to make this bill safe for local, organic farming, since NC Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr are on the Health Committee, which will be take up the legislation next week. A bad version of this legislation, HR 2749, has already been approved by the House of Representatives. We need a food safety bill that cracks down on corporate bad actors without erecting new barriers to the growing healthy food movement based on small and mid-sized family farms, sustainable and organic production methods, and more local and regional food sourcing. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. We've worked with them to fashion five common sense amendments to S 510. We need your help to make them happen! This is our last best chance to affect the final legislation. Step 1: Make a Call Please Call Senator Hagan's office at (202) 224-6342 and Senator Burr’s office at (202) 224-3154 and ask for the aide in charge of food safety issues. Tell them you are a constituent and are calling to ask the Senator to support the amendments proposed by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the National Organic Coalition to the Food Safety Modernization Act. Specifically, ask your Senator to support the following key changes to the bill: The bill should protect small farms and food businesses from any requirement to have “Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls.” Such mandates are proven to drive small farms and business out of business, and so increase reliance on the industrial food processing facilities that have been the main source of food borne illness outbreaks. The bill should direct FDA to ease compliance for organic farmers by integrating the FDA standards with the organic certification rules. FDA compliance should not jeopardize a farmer's ability to be organically certified under USDA's National Organic Program. The bill must provide small and mid-sized family farms that market value-added farm products with training and technical assistance in developing food safety plans for their farms. The bill should insist that FDA food safety standards and guidance will not contradict federal conservation, environmental, and wildlife standards and practices, and not force the farmer to choose which federal agency to obey and which to reject. Farmers who sell directly to consumers should not be required to keep records and be part of a federal "traceaback" system, and all other farms should not be required to maintain records electronically or any records beyond the first point of sale past the farmgate. Step 2: Report Your Call Let us know how your Senator responded by clicking here and typing in a brief report. Step 3: Learn More For more information on the Senate Food Safety bill, please see NSAC's Talking Points here and its Policy Brief Food Safety on the Farm.
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