Read the interview of Barack Obama by Ari LeVaux. Discussion includes why he voted for the Farm Bill, his thoughts on child obesity, the documentary film The Real Dirt on Farmer John (which Obama has yet to see), the farm-to-school program, switchgrass, and how he plans to direct the EPA when he is elected president. Plus, Obama's Family Chili Recipe. Yum.
Farm Bill 2007
June 07, 2008
July 12, 2007
Legislative Success: Section 123 Removed from Farm Bill
Hooray! Section 123 has been removed from the Farm Bill! This would not have happened without the people who voiced their concerns about Section 123 by calling and e-mailing Congress.
As you may remember, if Section 123 had become law it would have weakened food safety and animal welfare policies by invalidating hundreds of state and local laws that provide greater protections than federal laws. Efforts to challenge the way the meat and dairy industries sell, market, and label their products would have been significantly thwarted.
While the success with Section 123 is significant, efforts to improve the Farm Bill continue—and activism is still necessary. If you care, you can contact your representative and ask him to support HR 2720, or FARM 21, a new bill that would be beneficial for farmers wanting to produce healthy foods and for Americans wanting to eat a healthful diet. FARM 21’s subsidy reforms would also free up money for nutrition programs that would enhance every American’s ability to eat a healthy diet. Learn more about HR 2720; Farm 21.
Food fuels our society and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences and politics.
Technorati Tags: Farm Bill, HR270, Farm 21, Section 123, agriculture, farming, eating spiritually, lucid nutrition, humane society, bread for children, bread for the world, hooray
June 21, 2007
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:
Full Farm Bill Proposal in PDF Farm Sanctuary
Food & Water Watch
Farm Bill discussion drafts (prepared in anticipation of business meetings to be held by Subcommittees of the Committee regarding the 2007 Farm Bill)
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
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