Coming To A Family Farm Near You

A friend sent me this article last week and while I do in part consider the source, the article does raise a couple of really good question.

Some small farms and organic food growers could be placed under direct supervision of the federal government under new legislation making its way through Congress.

Food Safety Modernization Act

House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in February. DeLauro's husband, Stanley Greenburg, conducts research for Monsanto – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed.

Good point number one - Rep. DeLauro has a HUGE conflict of interest here and should not be sponsoring a bill of this nature since she personally stands to profit from this legislation.

DeLauro's act has 39 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 4. It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations.

Oh goodie - yet another bureaucracy. Isn't this what the Food & Drug Administration is supposed to be doing already? Why do we need another bureaucracy to do this?

Michael Olson, host of the Food Chain radio

show and author of "Metro Farm," told WND the government should focus on regulating food production in countries such as China and Mexico rather than burdening small and organic farmers in the U.S. with overreaching regulations.

"We need somebody to watch over us when we're eating food that comes from thousands and thousands of miles away. We need some help there," he said. "But when food comes from our neighbors or from farmers who we know, we don't need all of those rules. If your neighbor sells you something that is bad and you get sick, you are going to get your hands on that farmer, and that will be the end of it. It regulates itself."

They get a partial valid point here. While last years contaminated peppers came from Mexico, we did also have batch of contaminated lettuce that came from a large California farm. But the larger point that Mr. Olson makes about buying from a neighborhood farmer is a very valid one.

This does not mean that the government will be coming after your back yard garden (yet)...

Under the legislation's broad wording, slaughterhouses, seafood processing plants, establishments that process, store, hold or transport all categories of food products prior to delivery for retail sale, farms, ranches, orchards, vineyards, aquaculture facilities and confined animal-feeding operations would be subject to strict government regulation.

Government inspectors would be required to visit and examine food production facilities, including small farms, to ensure compliance. They would review food safety records and conduct surveillance of animals, plants, products or the environment.

However this does hurt the small boutique/family farmer who is out there making specialty jellies or raising bison for your neighborhood farmers market. This will hurt the operators of your favorite road side farm stand too. In other words - it hurts SMALL BUSINESS the most.

I find it very ironic that the people who sponsor the most legislation to help big businesses like Monsanto are the Democrats. After all, for decades they have told us that they were for the "little guy". If Monsanto is the little guy - I would hate to see who the "big guy" in this equation is.....