Planned food safety rules rile organic farmers (CSPI supported rules)

Los Angles Times ^

[matt04]

im Crawford was rushing to load crates of freshly picked organic tomatoes onto trucks heading for an urban farmers market when he noticed the federal agent.

A tense conversation followed as the visitor to his farm — an inspector from the Food and Drug Administration — warned him that some organic-growing techniques he had honed over four decades could soon be outlawed.

"This is my badge. These are the fines. This is what is hanging over your head, and we want you to know that," Crawford says the official told him.

Crawford's popular farm may seem a curious place for the FDA to move ahead with a long-planned federal assault on deadly food poisoning. To Crawford's knowledge, none of the kohlrabi, fennel, sugar snap peas or other crops from his New Morning Farm have ever sickened anyone. But he is not the only organic grower to suddenly discover federal inspectors on his land.

In 2010, after a years-long campaign, food-safety activists persuaded Congress to give the FDA authority to regulate farm practices. The next year, an outbreak of food poisoning that killed 33 people who ate tainted cantaloupes put pressure on the FDA to be aggressive.

Now, farmers are discovering that the FDA's proposed rules would curtail many techniques that are common among organic growers, including spreading house-made fertilizers, tilling cropland with grazing animals, and irrigating from open creeks.

...

Food safety advocates have urged regulators to hang tough. "We don't believe large facilities are the only place where outbreaks are happening," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.

[matt04]

Food safety advocates have urged regulators to hang tough. "We don't believe large facilities are the only place where outbreaks are happening," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.

Hahahahah. Let me guess many of these small organic farmers support the CSPI or similar groups when they seek to impose stricter rules on larger non-organic farms.

[PrairieLady2]

The sad part is that the cantelopes weren’t tainted from where they grew, but from a contaminated truck which hauled them.

Once again, the overreach is staggering!

[andyk]

But he is not the only organic grower to suddenly discover federal inspectors trespassing on his land.

Above is my edit, obviously. You cannot pick and choose what rights the fedguv has based on behavior you wish to modify. They can't have the right to infringe upon your ability to grow and consume a plant on your property, but not have the right to determine what crops you can grow and how they are grown.

You have to see these rights generically applied. If you don't like them applied in one circumstance, you can't like them applied in any circumstance. I only point this out to folks who have no problem allowing the interstate commerce clause used in ways they approve on the one hand, and disapprove of it in other ways.

Choose a side. It's not complicated. Stepping off my soapbox to go grab some Pho.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

OOOOOps!

the Libs yapping about organic are now the target.

I buy “ organic “, non antibiotic, etc meats from wholefoods..veggies and fruits, well, it depends.
Leave it to the capitalist private sector..Let the consumer decide.We’re not stupid.

[Ouderkirk]

This is one of those shoot, shovel and shut up moments.

Feral Agent from whatever under Obastard = Agent of tyranny = legitimate target.

[andyk]

I buy “ organic “, non antibiotic, etc meats from wholefoods..veggies and fruits, well, it depends.

Agreed. Leave it to the private sector. Did you know there's now a Whole Foods in Boise? Reno should relinquish it's nickname.

I prefer to buy veggies directly from farmers who can tell me how they grow their crops. I don't care whether the USDA certifies it as organic. Unfortunately, out in Fargo, that's not an option, so I buy whatever veggies the store has.

[Chode]

ten buck$ says he got what he voted for...

[LeoWindhorse]

he’s going to totally alienate all the small scale organic hippy farmers , who were one of his ,admittedly minor , solid bases of support . I love it .

[Dr. Thorne]

Organic and local produce farming and buying must be unnerving Monsanto, ADM and the rest who own much of Congress.

Remember that most regulations are written by the huge food conglomerates themselves. These regs seem to put many restrictions on those conglomerates, but they can afford to comply with them. Small farmers can't. That's the strategy.

They are not trying to protect us. They are protecting themselves from competition.

[grania]

If there really is concern about solving a problem, it seems that farmers who sell their own produce at the farm or at nearby cooperatives that clearly identify the source farms should be exempt from these rules. At that point, the consumer has the ability to make responsible choices.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Ahhh, yes.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We want "sustainability" when it's impossible.

When it is possible, we want it outlawed.

[JRandomFreeper]

what rights the fedguv has

The federal government has NO rights. It has only powers, delegated by the States in the Constitution.

Only people have rights.

/johnny

[maine yankee]

Here in Maine the number of new small farms is four times the national average.

With only 1.3 million people, the FDA has opened it’s third regional office.

There is no other state with 3.

[andyk]

Thank you for the correction, and agreed.

[JRandomFreeper]

Is there a rope and lamp-post shortage in Maine? ;)

/johnny

[Gabz]

Let me guess many of these small organic farmers support the CSPI or similar groups when they seek to impose stricter rules on larger non-organic farms.

I seriously doubt it. CSPI loves corporate farming and corporate feeding..........they seek to destroy all mom and pop endeavors that involve food and beverage - whether growing, processing, or serving.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

grania :" ..At that point, the consumer has the ability to make responsible choices."

Exactly true ..but ,..they dont want us to have a choice !!
Also , as Dr thune stated : they dont want to protect us ,
They want to protect their monoploy ( think economic/ profit motive).
E. Pluribus Unum :"We want "sustainability" when it's impossible.
When it is possible, we want it outlawed."
A recent example is what is happening to the "Gasoline /Energy" and the "Coal Industry"
Create a current unreachable guidance goal , hide it behind current unachieveable technological goal,(none of which is COngress controlled)
then chide the industry for not reaching those guidance goals ,
resulting in fines ($$) to discourage those who remain in the industry FROM PERSISTING !!
It is government controlled "Cloward-Piven"

[Mamzelle]

Probably these food safety “activists” are simply more of the Move On .org crowd…trying to make as many people as miserable as possible, not be able to run a small business, and eventually starve us all to death.

[grania]

It is government controlled Cloward-Piven"

I get that. I also "get it" that Keynesian economics and treating government -issued money as a commodity is a problem. But there are two sides of the coins...dems and 'pubs....and neither side comes even close to representing anyone, globally, except the top 5% or so of the world's population.

The question is, how does it change? I fear the answer to that question.