Proposed federal rules could put farmers out of business

Farmers and concerned consumers must take action regarding massive new food safety regulations

[October 05, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Stewardship Alliance, along with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, launched a campaign to improve deeply flawed federal food safety regulations that will have a huge impact on farmers and the availability of high-quality local food products. The campaign provides farmers, concerned consumers, and farm, food and public health organizations with information and resources to be able to effectively comment on the proposed regulations.

The deadline for public comments to the Food and Drug Administration on the proposed rules is Nov. 15 -- just over six weeks away.

The regulations are part of the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, passed by Congress in 2010. The regulations set new standards for produce farms and new requirements for food facilities -- including farms -- that handle or process food for human consumption. FDA is proposing standards that undermine sustainable production practices, subject many farms to regulations designed for industrial facilities, and may well prove too costly for farmers to implement and stay in business.

Given the magnitude of the problems with the rules, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition are calling on the FDA to issue a new, heavily revised set of proposed rules for both produce farms and preventive controls in facilities.

"This is a watershed moment for local food -- farmers, entrepreneurs and consumers," said Wes King, executive director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. "If farmers, entrepreneurs and consumers don’t get involved in the comment campaign and put pressure on the FDA to revise and fix their proposed rules, we may look back at this moment 10 years from now as the beginning of the end for local food. That's why we are launching this campaign today -- there is too much at stake to not act."

Information about the proposed regulations, who is affected and what the top issues are, as well as instructions for how to submit comments to FDA are available at NSAC’s action center on the Food Safety Modernization Act, http://sustainableagriculture.net/fsma/, or at http://www.ilstewards.org/.

"Wading through hundreds of pages of detailed and complex regulations can be intimidating, and understanding how the rules will affect farmers can be very confusing," noted Sarah Hackney, NSAC’s grass-roots director. "To help, we are sharing resources that explain the regulations in plain language and highlight top issues for farmers and consumers so that everyone can weigh in with FDA during this critical time."

FDA released the proposed regulations in January of this year and has extended the public comment deadline twice. The deadline for public comments on the proposed regulations for produce safety and for food facilities is Nov. 15. FDA must respond to all public comments properly submitted by the deadline.

"The agency needs to listen carefully to the concerns of farmers and fix the regulations so that they allow farmers to use sustainable farming practices, ensure that local food and farms can grow and thrive, and provide options that treat family farmers fairly," said Ariane Lotti, NSAC’s assistant policy director. "Given the substantial problems in the proposed regulations and the lasting impacts these regulations will have, we join the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the United Fresh Produce Association in urging FDA to issue a set of second proposed rules so the public can meaningfully comment on what we hope will be a major overhaul of their initial drafts."

[Text from file received from Illinois Stewardship Alliance]

Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a statewide nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally sustainable, socially just and economically viable local food systems through policy development, advocacy and education.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grass-roots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources and rural communities.