S. 510:FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

[mamagoose]

*WARNING- stay on issue*

OK ,so this bill has come to my attention lately ,and I didn't see a lot of coverage on it. So I asked permission to bring it up here because I think many of you would also be interested. Food safety has become a major issue lately with the E.Coil and Salmonella in the food and causing illnesses.
This bill; S. 510 is a bill currently being considered in the Senate to address this issue. Food safety is very important and I do think that more should be done to insure the safety of the food supply.
However I find some of the wording in this bill troublesome. The outbreaks have been in large facilities, or from produce imported from outside the U.S. but with the way the bill is not specific on what size a farm is , I'm worried that small family farms could be held to the same standards, fees, and fines as a multi-million dollar agribusiness.
So I'll provide a link below with the bill so you can read it and tell me what your take is on it. Do you think this will help or hurt?
BTW PLEASE stay on this topic. No rants that wax political or the thread will be shut down, and I feel that this is a very important issue that more people should be aware of.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-510

*WARNING- stay on issue*

 

[reinbeau]

This thread is being allowed to discuss the bill and it's effect on our food supply system - absolutely no political discussions are going to be tolerated. Stay on topic and the thread will remain open. Thank you all for your thoughtful participation!

 

[Mackay]

This bill is a relfection of the incompetance, criminal activity and ignorance of the FDA.

If they would bother to learn how to manage faming correctly it would not be needed. That they allow these filty MRSA farms to exist blows my mind. That they allow GMO foods, ditto. Extreme filth requires extreme controls I suppose. Basically it all comes down to control.

Who controls the FDA.

If they were not inherenty corrupt, if the heads of the FDA were not connected to large agriculture corporations we would not have this issue.

Basically it is designed to put the small farmer and food processor and producer out of business.

Vote it down.

 

[Buster]

"Most sustainable agriculture and family farm groups think the Senate bill is a very significant improvement over the companion bill passed by the House of Representatives (HR 2749) last year. Weve been able to help make substantial improvements in the Senate bill through the HELP markup and in changes that will be adopted as part of the managers amendment when the bill comes to the Senate floor. Assuming the Tester amendment (see below) can be worked out and agreed to before Senate floor action, we will be able to support the Senate bill. However, we strongly oppose the companion House measure, and stand ready to defend the Senate bill in conference with the House should that prove necessary...

"We also continue to note and emphasize the additional provisions NSAC helped secure when the bill was marked up in Committee last year. Those changes included:

* requiring FDA and USDA coordination (including with respect to organic farming);
* limiting recordkeeping for farmers to just the initial sale to the first purchaser of the crop; and
* language in the produce section directing FDA to create rules that are appropriate to the scale and diversity of the farm, that take into consideration conservation and environmental standards established by other federal agencies, that do not conflict with organic certification standards, and that prioritize high risk crops."

http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/senate-food-safety-bill/

 

[mamagoose]

Buster-

If those amendments are added it would help calm some of the fears I have about what kind of effects this bill will have on small farms.