2007 Farm Bill

Center For Food Safety: Consumer, Environmental, Farmer and Animal Welfare Groups Protest Clause that Wipes Out State and Local Authority on Meat, Poultry, Biotechnology

For Immediate Press Release
Washington, June 19, 2007 - Forty consumer, environmental, farmer and animal welfare groups today announced their opposition to a sweeping provision in the 2007 Farm Bill that wipes out critical state and local authority to protect food safety, the environment, and humane animal treatment.  The provision, Section 123 of Title I, was quietly inserted in the House bill several weeks ago by the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee.

Consumers Union, the Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Food Safety, the Union of Concerned Scientists and three dozen other organizations today called for deletion of Section 123, in a letter sent today to the House Agriculture Committee.  The full Committee will hold its mark up of the 2007 Farm Bill later this month.

"At a time when we have seen repeated food safety failures at FDA and USDA, we need more food safety protection, not less," states Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives at Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports).  "This clause would tie the hands of states on meat, poultry and genetically engineered food," she said.

Section 123 would prevent states and localities from passing any laws prohibiting commercial use of USDA-inspected products.  "This could prevent a local health inspector at a supermarket from condemning rodent-contaminated meat or poultry that has begun to go bad," states Jean Halloran.

"Section 123 will subvert the principles of federalism and states' rights," states Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.  "If this appalling and outrageous measure is approved, agribusiness will accomplish what it could not achieve in state legislatures - the evisceration of state laws to protect horses from slaughter and a raft of other democratically approved animal welfare reforms.

"Section 123 would also get in the way of state laws on biotechnology.  No state could prohibit use in commerce of a product that USDA has determined is "non-regulated."  Both supporters and opponents of the measure agree that this refers to genetically engineered crops, which USDA "deregulates" after considering whether they might be a plant pest.  "California, Arkansas and Missouri have passed laws creating state committees that review whether genetically engineered rice should be grown in the state," notes Joe Mendelson, Legal Director of the Center for Food Safety.    "These laws, which farmers support, would be preempted."

"This poorly conceived provision should be dropped immediately," states Mendelson.  "Just in the last several months we have seen problems with melamine in animal feed and ground beef contaminated with E. coli.   Section 123 takes us backwards by removing existing protections we have at the state and local level.  We need increased, not decreased food safety efforts," he said.

This dangerous attempt to radically alter doctrine would prevent states and communities from passing laws against some of the most cruel and inhumane factory farming practices, including confinement by crate in the veal and pork industry and foie gras production, as well as horse slaughter and other inhumane practices such as the mistreatment of animals at puppy mills.  Additionally, the policies will create an unfair playing field - one that works at the expense of local markets, family farmers, and the environment.

Learn More Here:

Food & Water Watch

Full Farm Bill Proposal in PDF

Farm Bill discussion drafts (prepared in anticipation of business meetings to be held by Subcommittees of the Committee regarding the 2007 Farm Bill)

And take Action by sending emails or making phone calls to your state reps and senators easily with:

Farm Sanctuary

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Action Farmland Trust

The Humane Society

The Consumers Union

Healthy Farm Bill (for every 100 messages sent from your state, The Farm & Food Project will hand deliver a package of healthy, local food to State Senators and Representatives:)

He who practices Ahimsa develops strong will-power. In his presence, enmity ceases. In his presence, cobra and frog, cow and tiger, cat and rat, wolf and lamb, will all live together in terms of intimate friendship. ~Swami Sivananda

Technorati Tags: Farm Bill 2007, animal treatment, organic food, farmers rights, environment, health, food safety, Wayne Pacelle, Farm Bill 101, PCRM, ahimsa, nonviolence, lucid nutrition

Comments

[Thomas Lee Trevino]

Its another sad day when Bad Organizations try to sneak around and try to pass laws that are already in place to protect animals. These folks dont care about nothing but profits these are sellouts and should be expose to there evil deeds. We humane,respectable and responsible horse owners execpt better treatment to all animals we are americans that honor and love our horses.We are not foreigners that pay no Income Tax nor Tariff Tax on exports or milk the Americans on Taxes to pay for there USDA Inspectors for there Profits.Nor do we promote jobs for illegals because theses businees make big money by hiring illegals. Its Slavery all over again and we are paying border patrols to keep them out. We with these stupid sellouts are meshing americas growth and humane treatment to all animals up for profits. HR503 must pass to protect our horses and S123 should be drop as fast as it arrised.

[Briana Franco]

Thank you for your comment Thomas. I checked out your website-Save da Horses. Such sad news really...Keep up the good work of informing people about unnecessary horse slaughter. All the best!