This is NOT meant to be a political thread in any way. I was emailed the information about this bill and it surprised me so I felt that I should share with my farming and gardening family here. There is a link to the actual bill at the bottom of the page. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THIS A BANNED TOPIC! PLEASE NO POLITICAL COMMENTS. Its for information only. I'm still digesting this and trying to figure it all out. The following is what I received:
Thank you to a good friend for sending this.
United States Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has proposed
legislation, *H.R. 875*, which *would literally prohibit Americans from raising food* for themselves, their families, or *even for their
animals*.
*H.R. 875, the so-called Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (FSMA)*
sounds innocent enough at first blush, with language purporting to
"protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring
the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to
food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional
contamination, and for other purposes." In reality, *the FSMA is an
extensive and all-controlling abomination that must be stopped!*
The *FSMA mandates registration* of every "food production facility," which the bill defines as *"any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation;" and every* "food establishment," which the bill defines as "a slaughterhouse..., factory, warehouse, *or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients."*
*H.R. 875 makes NAIS look tame.* This bill will not just sweep up
commercial food operations. The fine print of the FSMA will subject
hobby gardeners, home canners, anyone with a few chickens, or anyone who
"holds, stores, or transports food" - including mushrooms or wild
berries gathered in the wild - to registration, extensive management,
and inspection by a huge new bureaucracy, the Food Safety Administration
(FSA)- even if the food items will only be consumed personally. And
registration must be via "an electronic portal," which will be costly
and difficult for those without computers.
*H.R. 875 exponentially advances the "Foodborne Disease Surveillance
Systems" required of member states of the World Health Organization
(WHO)*, which includes the United States. "Food establishments" will be
required to adopt preventive process controls, *including implementing
recordkeeping and labeling of all food and food ingredients to
facilitate their identification and traceability, /including
instructions for handling and preparation for consumption./* This might
sound rather reasonable... until you remember the definition of a "food
establishment" above.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875
Thank you to a good friend for sending this.
United States Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has proposed
legislation, *H.R. 875*, which *would literally prohibit Americans from raising food* for themselves, their families, or *even for their
animals*.
*H.R. 875, the so-called Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (FSMA)*
sounds innocent enough at first blush, with language purporting to
"protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring
the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to
food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional
contamination, and for other purposes." In reality, *the FSMA is an
extensive and all-controlling abomination that must be stopped!*
The *FSMA mandates registration* of every "food production facility," which the bill defines as *"any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation;" and every* "food establishment," which the bill defines as "a slaughterhouse..., factory, warehouse, *or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients."*
*H.R. 875 makes NAIS look tame.* This bill will not just sweep up
commercial food operations. The fine print of the FSMA will subject
hobby gardeners, home canners, anyone with a few chickens, or anyone who
"holds, stores, or transports food" - including mushrooms or wild
berries gathered in the wild - to registration, extensive management,
and inspection by a huge new bureaucracy, the Food Safety Administration
(FSA)- even if the food items will only be consumed personally. And
registration must be via "an electronic portal," which will be costly
and difficult for those without computers.
*H.R. 875 exponentially advances the "Foodborne Disease Surveillance
Systems" required of member states of the World Health Organization
(WHO)*, which includes the United States. "Food establishments" will be
required to adopt preventive process controls, *including implementing
recordkeeping and labeling of all food and food ingredients to
facilitate their identification and traceability, /including
instructions for handling and preparation for consumption./* This might
sound rather reasonable... until you remember the definition of a "food
establishment" above.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875
