How does S 510 Affect Us?

[babalubird]

The more I read, the more confused I get. We had hoped to raise chickens, both egglayers and broilers on our farm for extra income. As well as a 2-acre truck garden which we have poured a lot of money into w/bought compost and several cover crops.

Is our dream up in smoke? Does anyone understand this law?

Connie

 

[noodleroo]

It's not a law, yet. I think its fair to say that no one understands where this law is headed. I can tell you that I, personally, would not change anything that I wanted to do in fear of this law passing. I really don't believe that it can pass in this session.

There are several other threads on this here on BYC. You can read until you are blue in the face and the result will be that we don't know the far reaching impact should this bill pass. Nobody knows...

 

[NorTracNY]

noodleroo is totally correct. It's a bill that passed the Senate, but is different from the bill that passed in the House. Big Ag does not want what passed in the Senate to become law, so it's VERY unlikely that anything will be passed too soon.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

The rule of thumb is to ask "who benefits".

If big business benefits at the expense of citizens it will become law. If citizens benefit at the expense of big business or government it will be voted down. If two industries are pitted against one another, it is a coin toss, but they way to bet is that citizens will suffer.

 

[poltroon]

SB 510 does not regulate chickens or eggs. The current version would not affect you selling to consumers in terms of regulations or restrictions unless you are grossing over $500,000 in crop sales OR unless your farm were to be implicated in an outbreak of foodborne illness.

There's some question, as I understand it, that may come into play if you are selling to restaurants or other businesses.

 

[draye]

Check out this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=421279

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

And/Or this one

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=385120&p=9

If you want to affect legislation, you can still contact your elected officials to express concerns. This has worked in the past for me. I still believe it can work if there are enough voices.

But let's not be alarmist (the sky is not falling). To be taken seriously, we have to be well informed about the contents of the bill and possible abuses of it.

I would plant your truck garden! The country needs more truck gardens!

 

[GardenerGal]

Check out the USDA's attempt to push NAIS (National Animal Identification System) and how the resistance of citizens has slowed it down, for now at least. That WOULD affect chickens on the local level, and though its affect on selling eggs would be indirectly affected, it would still create an opening through which big corporations could cripple the small- and homestead farmer.

The last time I checked we are still a democratic republic, and our voices do count if we use them in unity and don't back down.

 

[ivan3]

We continue to function (Federally - some State Laws are already tougher) under 415 of the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act as amended by the 2002/04 Food Safety and Bioterrorism Act (which S510 conformed with):

Text of the exemption of Farms (specifically) and language that specifically states S510 conforms with 415 of the FDCA (from the Bill itself) (along with links to 415 and the other exemptions). When I started reading the Blogs on this matter, many were listing rules for `ALREADY REGULATED FACILITIES' (under 415) as being applied to EVERYONE under this bill. Not so:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=385120&p=9 (post 84).

 

[Mr cluck's]

The SB 510 scare is an internet hoax that prays on the ill informed.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp