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Food Safety Modernization Act Threatens Organic Farmers

What does the FDA know about farming? “Jack Manure,” apparently. In January 2011, after one of the most underhanded legislative maneuvers we’ve ever seen, the disastrous Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law. The FSMA gave the FDA unprecedented power over American farms. And as we pointed out at the time, the FDA knows absolutely nothing about farming. In January 2013, the FDA issued draft rules for produce, decreeing that farmers would have to wait nine months between applying manure and harvesting. This will take many organic fields out of production for an entire growing season, economically crippling small farmers.

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How Government and Industry Is Trying to Eliminate Farm-to-Table Operations

The food industry knows it cannot compete with wholesome foods grown by small-scale family farms. Since they cannot compete, the next best thing, from their perspective, is to simply eliminate the competition. By limiting or eliminating your access to alternatives, you have no choice but to become a consumer of large-scale industry food. By purchasing your meat from smaller farms, you’re promoting their proliferation, and the return to saner, healthier ways of eating. In the end, that will benefit everyone in your community, including the animals.

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The FDA Should not be Put in Charge of our Farms

Three years ago major concessions were won for small farmers, including an exemption for producers making less than $500,000 a year in sales who also sold most of their food locally. Now it’s all in danger. The FDA had proposed two troubling Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules that will drastically hurt small farms. The first one concerns standards for the growing and harvesting of raw agricultural produce, exempting foods that are sterilized by irradiation (even though “nuking” it harms the food’s nutritional value can cause a wide range of health problems). Obviously, organic foods cannot be irradiated, so they will never be exempted. The second amended the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) guidelines by creating hazards analysis requirements and risk-based protections with lots of detailed recordkeeping. Most farmers will likely need a team of lawyers to make sure they’re complying with the new rule properly. The new rules are written in vague language and geared to discriminate against small farmers and food producers who wish to diversify, as well as give the FDA the right to revoke the above exemption for small farms or facilities, even if there is no proof that the farm is the cause of the outbreak, and even though there may not be an immediate threat to public health!

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Interest in Small Farms Grows – Growing food on a small farm may be our future

by Cooking Up a Story
March 10, 2011 As the season begins to change to Spring, I’ve noticed a lot more attention being paid to the small farmer. Last week the New York Times ran a piece on the growing interest of small farming with 20-30 year olds.

“Garry Stephenson, coordinator of the Small Farms Program at […]

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