Details on the Farr-Kaptur Amendment

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Jul 24, 2009 at 08:08:04 AM PDT

ACTION: Support the Farr-Kaptur Food Safety Amendment

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 17:16:37 PM PDT

Two organizations - the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) have really stepped up to ensure that the bill is fair to small farmers. Here is some text from a recent PASA email (I haven't been able to locate the exact language of the Farr-Kaptur amendment yet):

To date we have achieved some things we can be proud of, including exemption for direct marketers from most traceability requirements (including for sales to restaurants and grocery stores), and now including some clear language in the bill to define what on-farm processing activities might be exempt from FDA registration as well.  Things are still in flux as I write, but we believe all such processing will be exempt as long as 50% or more of sales (including by Internet and mail order) are made directly to individuals (i.e. retail, as opposed to wholesale). And a huge gain just this week will likely be another exemption on sales of feedstuffs for livestock from one farmer to another, which had been included in the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 (thaaat's right...) as an activity requiring registration.  There have been other gains in specific wording of the bill, too detailed to enumerate in this email right now.

But we're still disappointed that the fee being assessed to eligible businesses, including some on farms, will be the flat rate of $500 instead of our preferred sliding scale for smaller operations, including a minimum size below which no fee would be charged.  We in fact would prefer to see a much higher fee paid by the largest food processing companies, from which most food safety issues seem to emanate in any case -- but that may not be achievable at this point. We also have other language we'd like to see in the bill that would focus attention on high risk aspects of food production, protect organic farmers from duplicative paperwork and expand the research agenda into more diversified systems.  All of these concerns are contained in an amendment being sponsored by Representatives Farr, Kaptur and others that E&C [Energy & Commerce Committee] must deal with if they expect to get their two-thirds vote to limit debate.

The bottom line from this email is: We need you to call, email, or fax your representatives ASAP and ask them to support the Farr-Kaptur amendment to H.R.2749.

Also... if you'd like to speak with your credit card, I'm sure PASA and MOFGA would appreciate your donations :)

Meet Your Leaders: Sam Farr

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

Sam Farr (D-CA)
Sam is an 8th term Congressman who won his last election with 76% of the vote. He was born in San Francisco on July 4, 1941l. He is Episcopalian and he received a B.S. degree from Willamette University in 1963. Before he was elected to the House, he was a budget analyst. He is married and his wife's name is Shary.

Contact Information
DC Office: 202-225-2861 (phone); 202-225-6791 (fax)
District Offices: 831-424-2229 (Salinas); 831-429-1976 (Santa Cruz)

Chief of Staff: Rochelle Dornatt
Appointment Secretary: Tom Tucker
Legislative Director: Debbie Merrill
Press Secretary: Tom Mentzer

Congresspedia Entry for Sam Farr
NYT: Sam Farr on Organics and Food Safety

The Congressional Organic Caucus

by: OrangeClouds115

Sat Jul 19, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

Here's a bit more info from the Organic Farming Research Foundation site:

The Organic Caucus is a bipartisan association of congressional members dedicated to enhancing the availability and understanding of information related to the production and processing of organic agricultural products. The caucus shall serve the public interest through the promotion of sound policies that advance organic production and marketing.

Rationale

The organic food industry, with an average annual growth rate of 20% a year, continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors in agriculture. The International Trade Center UNCTAD/WTO estimates that US retail sales in 2001 were between $9 and $9.5 billion.

In October of 2002, national organic standards went into effect. Consumers are demanding greater organic product availability, media attention is on the rise, and farmers increasingly look for scientifically proven, peer-reviewed solutions to their organic production problems. In spite of rapid growth, organic agriculture priorities are not sufficiently reflected in the current government's research agenda or fiscal commitments.

Because of its ability to minimize impacts on soil, air and water quality, organic agriculture provides a unique opportunity to increase sustainable business practices, protect the environment, and preserve natural resources.