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- #11
- Apr 19, 2009
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There has been pushback from the brewing industry, and the story on the proposed regulation is constantly changing. Here's a small sampling of news stories over the past week which illustrates that:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/proposed-fda-rules-could-cost-beer-brewers-millions
http://www.bcbr.com/article/20140331/NEWS/140339989
http://www.brewbound.com/news/beer-institute-urges-fda-to-exempt-american-brewers-from-regulation
http://tcbmag.com/News/Recent-News/2014/April/FDA-Responds-To-Craft-Brewer-Backlash-Over-Propose
The way the feds typically work is, they'll come up with a rule that will make it possible for the big breweries to continue selling grain to commercial farmers, but will end the practice of craft breweries giving away grain to locals. They respond to lobbyists and money, and the big national breweries have both. Your local brew pub does not. If you don't think this is an issue, consider this: I didn't even know it was happening until it was brought to my attention in an email ... from the owner of our local brew pub, who also has backyard chickens of his own.
A great example in one of the proposals which has been suggested would be to require that the grain be directly transferred into sealed, food grade shipping containers. That's already what the local Anheuser-Busch brewery does - they fill train cars one after another. Our local microbrewery shovels the grain into Rubbermaid trash cans. There would be no way for them to comply with such a rule, so, their grain would all have to go in the trash.
Bottom line is, this has been unregulated and harmless forever. There needs to be a serious public outcry, or there will be thousands of tons of grain thrown into landfills every year, and the end of a great source of free feed for us backyard chicken owners.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/proposed-fda-rules-could-cost-beer-brewers-millions
http://www.bcbr.com/article/20140331/NEWS/140339989
http://www.brewbound.com/news/beer-institute-urges-fda-to-exempt-american-brewers-from-regulation
http://tcbmag.com/News/Recent-News/2014/April/FDA-Responds-To-Craft-Brewer-Backlash-Over-Propose
The way the feds typically work is, they'll come up with a rule that will make it possible for the big breweries to continue selling grain to commercial farmers, but will end the practice of craft breweries giving away grain to locals. They respond to lobbyists and money, and the big national breweries have both. Your local brew pub does not. If you don't think this is an issue, consider this: I didn't even know it was happening until it was brought to my attention in an email ... from the owner of our local brew pub, who also has backyard chickens of his own.
A great example in one of the proposals which has been suggested would be to require that the grain be directly transferred into sealed, food grade shipping containers. That's already what the local Anheuser-Busch brewery does - they fill train cars one after another. Our local microbrewery shovels the grain into Rubbermaid trash cans. There would be no way for them to comply with such a rule, so, their grain would all have to go in the trash.
Bottom line is, this has been unregulated and harmless forever. There needs to be a serious public outcry, or there will be thousands of tons of grain thrown into landfills every year, and the end of a great source of free feed for us backyard chicken owners.
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