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Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:03:13 -0400 |
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I received this notice today. It's said to be about what the Obama
administration is planning for the USA (Bills: HR 875 and S 425).
If any of you are closer to the action than I am, I'd appreciate
your critical review and more back-ground/context than is in
the news item. Is there substance to this or is it another example
of paranoid rambling being thrown up by the stress of the
economic crisis:
======================
Banning Organic Farming?
I just received this, but admit I heard whispers of it previously.
Intentionally, or perhaps not, Monsanto, Cargill, Tyson, ADM
are pushing to BAN organic farming
[KT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epXNJNjYBvw]
via their recent food safety Bill submission.
[KT: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:
h875ih.txt.pdf]
What the proposed legislation wants to accomplish:
* Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines
effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than
being food police for the federal dept.
* Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use
the word organic.
* Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but
consuming it.
* Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game.
* Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or
producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which
is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.
* Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect
of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the
factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as
experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation.
Who do you think they are going to side with?
* Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production
facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities.
The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could
be fined and more.
* Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as
the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes
away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
Co-incidentally, and certainly conveniently, the debate on food
safety is hotting up.....
[KT: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/
031509dnmetsalmonella.3d4b099.html]
The paradox for me is the rise in waves of mass food
contaminations always link back to failures in factory/industrial
farming/processing models - yet these agribusinesses seem to
be suggesting that it is the factory/industrial farming/processing
models that will provide the solution...much like their arguments
for pesticides, herbicides, GM....the problems and the solutions
roll out in a never-ending stream.
====================
Keith
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