Proposed federal rules could put farmers
out of business
Farmers and concerned consumers must
take action regarding massive new food safety regulations
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[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.
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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/.
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"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]
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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.
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