> Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:16:02 -0700 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: YOUR HELP NEEDED TO DEFEAT DANGEROUS FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION > > > YOUR HELP NEED TO DEFEAT DANGEROUS FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION > > AUGUST IS THE MONTH TO VISIT YOUR SENATOR > > Dear Members, > > As you know, we have been following proposed food safety legislation as it > moves through the House and Senate. > > Last week, the House of Representatives passed HR 2749, the Food Safety > Modernization Act, and the next step in the process will be the Senate. > Although it is not certain, the Senate will probably focus its food safety > discussions on S. 510, sponsored by Senator Durbin of Illinois. S. 510 is > different from HR 2749, but it contains many of the same problems (more > below). If Congress passes a food safety bill in the form of the House or > Senate version, it will be difficult, even impossible, for small food > manufacturers and small farms to stay in business-such as the farmer you get > your fresh food from and the majority of products listed in our shopping > guide. > > NOW IS THE TIME TO VISIT YOUR SENATOR! > Congress is back home for the month of August, so this is a great time to set > up an in-person meeting to discuss the food safety bills. Meeting with your > legislators is one of the most effective things you can do to make your voice > heard! > > We have over 10,000 members in the U.S. and there are just 100 Senators. So > it is possible to set up at least one meeting with every Senator-hopefully > thousands of you will visit your Senators. > > We know that many of our members have never met with their Congressman or > even thought about doing so. The prospect can be intimidating or stressful. > Yet there's no reason it should be. They represent you - it's their job. > Meeting with your legislators puts a face to an issue, making it very real > and tangible for them. It also shows them how important the issue is to you. > > If you call and are told that their schedules are already too full to allow a > personal meeting or a meeting with an aide, then go to one of the public > events that your Senators will be attending! Ask their local office for the > schedule of events that they will be attending in August and speak with them > at those events. That allows you to educate members of the public at the same > time that you educate your legislators. > > Below are some tips to help with the meetings. And at the end of the alert > are some talking points on S. 510 and the food safety bills in general. > > If you do set up a meeting, please send us an email at [email protected] > with the title "Food Safety Legislation Activism" so that we can keep track > of our progress. > > TIPS ON MEETINGS: > > Before the meeting: > > 1. Find out who your Senators are. You can look this up at www.senate.gov or > call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. (To find out who your > Representatives are, go to www.congress.org) > > 2. Contact their local offices. Introduce yourself, stressing the fact that > you're a constituent. Tell them you'd like to set up a meeting with the > Senator during the August recess to discuss the food safety bills. You will > most likely get transferred to a scheduler and perhaps be asked to put your > request in writing. > > 3. If you are unable to meet with the Senator, be willing to accept a meeting > with the staffer. Staffers often have a lot of input on issues! > > 4. Plan who will come to the meeting. Keep the group small, no more than 3 or > 4 people. > > 5. Plan which points each of you will cover to use your time most > effectively. We can help provide you with materials. Email > [email protected] or call the office at (703) 208-FARM (3276). > > 6. Dress in business attire and arrive early. > > During the meeting: > > 1. Introduce yourself and remind the Senator or staffer that you are > constituents. > > 2. Be succinct and clear about what you want: food safety bills that do not > harm the local food system. Try to emphasize positive items, such as the > inspection of imports or the regulation of the huge industrial food > processors, which would actually improve food safety. > > 3. While you're discussing the importance of local food systems, take a > moment to also discuss the National Animal Identification System and the > problems it poses. Encourage them to eliminate funding for the program when > the conference committee meets after the August recess. > > 4. Be prepared to educate him or her about the issues. Don't be afraid to say > "I don't know" and offer to follow up with more information after the meeting. > > 5. Get the staffer's business card so that you can contact the person again > directly. > > After the meeting, write a thank you note. Email or fax is fine. And then > send us your impressions of the meeting so that we know where your Senators > stand and can follow-up as well. > > TALKING POINTS (note: these same problems are also found in HR 2749) > > - S.510 calls for federal regulation of how farmers grow and harvest product. > Farmers selling food directly to local markets are inherently transparent and > accountable to their customers, and there is no reason to impose these > regulations on them. Based on FDA's track record, it is likely that such > rules will also discriminate against diversified sustainable farms that > produce animals and crops in complementary systems. > > - S.510 expands FDA's powers over food processors, regardless of their size, > scale, or distribution. FDA oversight of small, local food processors is > overreaching and unnecessary. Small processors selling into local markets do > not need federal oversight, unlike the large, industrial, multi-sourced > supply chains that are the cause of most foodborne illnesses and food > recalls. > > - S.510 applies a complex Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) > system to even the smallest local processors, imposing onerous paperwork and > record-keeping on these small businesses. Applying a HACCP system to local > foods facilities processing for local markets, as well as farmers making > value-added products, could undermine and extinguish these emerging small > businesses attempting to bring healthy local foods to American consumers. In > fact, when HAACP was applied to the meat packing industry, it was > instrumental in reducing the number of smaller regional and local meat > packers, yet failed to increase the number of independent, objective > inspectors in giant meat slaughtering and packing facilities. For comments on > HAACP by a small cheesemaker, see > http://hartkeisonline.com/2009/07/24/small-farmer-warns-hr2749-will-put-me-out-of-business/. > > - Bottom line: One size does not fit all when considering food safety bills! > Local foods businesses are not the same as animal factories or mega-farms > that sell products into industrial scale national and international markets, > and should not be regulated the same way! > > > Our postal address is > PMB #106-380 > 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW > Washington, District of Columbia 20016 > United States >
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