From Peggy Karp: Dear friends,
In about 10 days the US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on HR 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. I don't pretend to be an expert on the bill, but it's clear we need a longer period for public comment. Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, and other agri-chem corps are the main sponsors. Apparently the bill allows for mandating the use of non-organic fertilizers and insect sprays dictated by the new Food Safety Agency. Small noncompliant organic farms could be fined out of business. Heirloom seeds are also at risk. The bill is currently in two committees: the House Ag Committee, chaired by Collin Peterson from Minnesota, and the Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Henry Waxman of California. Waxman is very progressive and I'm hopeful he will be receptive to a call for a public comment period. His address is 2204 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515, tel (202) 225-3976, fax (202) 225-4099. Please pass this info along to your mailing lists and contact your representative and the committee chairs. Congressional switchboard is (202) 224-3121. There's a petition at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26714 Below is the letter I'm sending to my rep and the committee chairs. Cheers, Peggy # # # Dear Representative Waxman, Please delay the vote on HR 875, the Food Modernization Act of 2009, for 60 days to allow adequate time for public comment. Organic growers and consumers are concerned that this bill could be used to dilute organic farming practices and levy prohibitive fines on small organic farms. Heirloom seeds are also at risk. Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, and other agri-chemical corporations are lobbying strongly for the bill. These companies seem to be seizing upon the legitimate concern raised by recent food contaminations to push through legislation that will serve their interests. Food contamination has historically come from large commercial factories, not organic farms, and organic farms and private gardens should specifically be exempted from this legislation. Please amend this bill in ensure that the integrity of organic farming, heirloom seeds, and private gardens is preserved. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Peggy Karp _______________________________________________ Clarity mailing list [email protected] http://transpacific.net/mailman/listinfo/clarity --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [email protected] OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
