Ashland Food Co-op - Blog » Food Safety Modernization Act: Will HR 875 End Organic Agriculture?

Food Safety Modernization Act: Will HR 875 End Organic Agriculture?

March 20th, 2009 by Annie

We have been receiving numerous calls and emails regarding H.R. 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act. Many are in response to some emails and blog discussions that characterize this bill as bringing about the end to organic agriculture, farmers markets, and access to seeds.

Ashland Food Co-op, and food co-ops all over the country are aware of this bill. I have had lengthy conversations with both Peter DeFazio’s office and Kurt Schrader’s office. Peter is one of the 39 co-sponsors of HR 875 and Kurt sits on the Ag Committee that will review it to either let it die a quiet death or send it on to the next step.

H.R. 875 has been sitting in committee since February 4th. It has not even had a first reading. Some of the emails going around say this bill is on the “fast track” to be passed in two weeks. This doesn’t match up to the reality that it is just sitting there in committee without any action so far. That’s not to say something might not get going next week. But Congress is adjourned for a long weekend and Rep. Schrader will be in Salem next week, so there is doubt the committee will do much next week if at all.

To make your voice heard, aides to the Congressmen advise consumers to bombard Greg Walden, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkeley with phone calls and letters in opposition to this bill. If we do that, Walden, Wyden and Merkeley will go to DeFazio and Schrader and say, “My constituents are concerned about this bill. What do you think?”

The bill appears to be trying to bring large scale industrial farms into compliance with some semblance of food safety, something certified organic farms have had to do in order to be certified. I’m thinking that the big agricultural interests will balk at the kind of stiff regulations that would be imposed on them under the requirements of this bill and they might just kill it in committee.

So at this time, Ashland Food Co-op in a wait and see mode and encourages you to call or write our senators and congressmen in opposition to this bill.

For more information, you may contact me at outreach@ashlandfood.coop

Tags: end of organics, Food Safety Modernization Act, HR 875

Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 11:22 am

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Annie Hoy: Annie Hoy has been the Outreach Manager at Ashland Food Co-op since 1994.

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Food Safety Modernization Act: Will HR 875 End Organic Agriculture?

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