Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Illegal Gardening? New Proposed Bill: HR 875
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March 22, 2009 at 12:33 am #590170
HunterGParticipantMy Husband informed me of this bill last night and I was FLABERGASTED!
In short if the bill is passed, backyard organic gardening (food) would be illegal, as would farmer’s markets. Apparently this is a product of the peanut recall.
I have not read the proposed bill in its entirety yet because I am working today, but want to post it for fellow WSBloggers.
Who actually has the gall to try to control all land, and determine what kind of meat (for us carnivores) we eat.
The bill: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h875/show
Another link:
http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2009/03/13/Monsantos-Dream-Bill–HR-875.aspx
March 22, 2009 at 12:59 am #661271
AnonymousInactive‘actually has the gall to try to control all land, and determine what kind of meat (for us carnivores) we eat’ – HunterG
Apparently, our elected Democratic congress.
March 22, 2009 at 1:06 am #661272
HunterGParticipanteven so – its horrible, and sad.
March 22, 2009 at 1:10 am #661273
WSBKeymasterIf anyone has seen an impartial analysis of this (I do wish I had time for it but I don’t at the moment), please post.
It’s been forwarded to us by a person or two and every time I try to find some sort of reasonably impartial overview, I can only find breakdowns on websites with a particular ax to grind. I am going to sit down and read the whole thing sometime soon.
The only part that doesn’t really jibe is that it is posited on some of these sites as a big pro-business anti-organic landgrab and yet its 40-plus sponsors include Seattle’s Rep. Jim McDermott, who wouldn’t usually be on the side of something like that. I would suggest those concerned about it start with a letter to him asking about these allegations that are flying around.
March 22, 2009 at 1:11 am #661274
AnonymousInactiveAnd doesn’t seem to be true according to a comment from your links:
Organic Consumers Association :
“This week, we received numerous calls and emails from OCA supporters who came across alarming YouTube videos and emails circulating on the internet that claimed a new food safety bill (HR 875) introduced in Congress would make “organic farming illegal.” Although the Bill certainly has its shortcomings, it is an exaggeration to say that is a secret plot by Monsanto and the USDA to destroy the nation’s alternative food and farming system. In actuality, HR 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, is a limited-vision attempt by moderate Democrats and Republicans to craft food safety legislation to address the out-of-control filth and contamination that are inherent in our industrialized, now globalized, “profit-at-any-cost” food system.
March 22, 2009 at 1:41 am #661275
JanSParticipantNR…I don’t believe it’s gotten to Congress yet…so no one is “controlling anything”…but if it makes it there, be sure to watch how the other side votes, too…:)
just sayin’ :)
March 22, 2009 at 1:43 am #661276
AnonymousInactiveJan – True. But the congresswoman pushing it (as well as all the co-sponsors) is a Democrat.
That’s what I was talkin’ about.
March 22, 2009 at 2:23 am #661277
JoBParticipantIt is probably more to the point to note that Rep. Rosa DeLauro is married to Mr Greenburg who works for Monsanto…
Monsanto is infamous for their never-ending attempt to corner the world market on all food seed.. including that of organic farmers who are unlucky enough to live near a monsanto supplied farm and have the local bees cross pollinate their crop…
food safety?
yes, i think monsanto would like to make sure all of our food is safely grown by them…
genetically enhanced to resist pests and embedded with fertilizer to grow larger and be easier to harvest.
and they employ a lot of attorneys and lobbyists to help make that happen.
Just say no to this one.
March 22, 2009 at 2:32 am #661278
AnonymousInactiveJT – Thanks for that info.
It seems the bill is also supported by the Organic Consumers Organization. So, unless they, too, are “in bed” with Monsanto, this bill could pass.
Amateur gardeners beware!
March 22, 2009 at 2:35 am #661279
sunshineParticipanthere’s alink to the bill. It doesn’t make organic gardening or farmer’s markets illegal.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111XhRCWU:e1972:
March 22, 2009 at 2:59 am #661280
HunterGParticipantThat is good news, Sunshine, your link didn’t work though =(
JT – Like I said in my first post, I hadn’t been able to read the bill in its entirety, and then I saw the link that I posted, so….I dunno. Guess my anger and surprise about something of this nature actually seeing daylight kinda caused me to jump the gun and post here, my apologies.
March 22, 2009 at 3:18 am #661281
WSBKeymasterActually, Hunter, I’m glad you posted about it because that brought out discussion which included more information than I’d been able to suss out in a couple limited attempts. Power of the crowd :) Although … this is going to sound paranoid but … is the Organic Consumers Association a bonafide group and not one of those euphemistically monikered “associations”? Just checking.
March 22, 2009 at 3:29 am #661282
AnonymousInactiveJust skimmed, but they look real.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. We are the only organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation’s estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers.
March 22, 2009 at 3:31 am #661283
KenParticipantThomas links often die after several hours or contain “high ascii” codes that are not interpreted correctly by some browsers or blog software.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:h.r.875:
Should be the link to the full text of HR875
The above link id formatted like the suggested full text link on the thomas help page and should work as an example anytime you look for a bill by bill number. Just replace the “875” with the bill number and replace the “111” with the current session of congress.
Help link:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/example.html
Also, below is the CRS summary of the bill.
SUMMARY AS OF:
2/4/2009–Introduced.
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 – Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Food Safety Administration. Assigns all the authorities and responsibilities of the Secretary of Health and Human Services related to food safety to the Administrator of Food Safety.
Transfers to the Administration all functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws. Renames the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the Federal Drug and Device Administration.
Directs the Administrator to: (1) administer a national food safety program; and (2) ensure that persons who produce, process, or distribute food prevent or minimize food safety hazards. Sets forth requirements for the Administrator to carry out such duties, including: (1) requiring food establishments to adopt preventive process controls; (2) enforcing performance standards for food safety; (3) establishing an inspection program; (4) strengthening and expanding foodborne illness surveillance systems; (5) requiring imported food to meet the same standards as U.S. food; and (6) establishing a national traceability system for food.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) identify priorities for food safety research and data collection; (2) maintain a DNA matching system and epidemiological system for foodborne illness identification, outbreaks, and containment; (3) establish guidelines for a sampling system; (4) establish a national public education program on food safety; (5) conduct research on food safety; and (6) establish a working group on foodborne illness surveillance.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop the Food-Borne Illness Health Registry.
Directs the Comptroller General to report on the federal resources being dedicated to foodborne illness and food safety research.
Sets forth provisions regarding prohibited acts, recalls, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistleblower protections, and civil actions.
I can read bills if I am interested, but this wailing and gnashing of teeth so far seems manufactured. To start with, backyard gardens are never going to be regulated in the manner some of the loony sites imply simply because there is no force large enough on the planet to even do the paperwork.
Regulating and inspecting the food supply in this country is critical after 8 years of institutional head in sand, anti science from the howdy doody appointees of the Bush administration.
And calling something “organic” does not make it so any more than calling a wolf a sheep makes it grow wool. Regulate the organic commercial farms to the same extent as agribusiness.
March 22, 2009 at 3:32 am #661284
AnonymousInactivePS Hunter, wasn’t correcting you. Just didn’t want you to be upset unnecessarily if the claims weren’t true.
March 22, 2009 at 3:35 am #661285
JoBParticipantI don’t think the organic consumers association is a co-sponsor on HR 875…
their website says that although they do support the idea of a food safety law, they do not support the proposed law…
http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=12878056
” if the bill’s regulations were applied in a one-size-fits-all manner to certified organic and farm-to-consumer operations, it could have a devastating impact on small farmers, especially raw milk producers who are already unfairly targeted by state food-safety regulators. “
Their website is worth a visit…
they have a good deal to say about Monsanto.
March 22, 2009 at 3:37 am #661286
AnonymousInactiveThe Organic Consumers Association is not taking a position *for or against* this bill, but encouraging its members to write to Congress to urge it to enact food safety legislation that addresses the inherent dangers of our industrialized food system without burdening certified organic and farm-to-consumer operations.
http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/bills/?bill=12878051&alertid=12878056
March 22, 2009 at 3:58 am #661287
JoBParticipant“OCA does not support HR 875 in its present form”
“we are calling on Congress to focus its attention on the real threats to food safety: globalized food sourcing from nations such as China where food safety is a travesty and domestic industrial-scale and factory farms whose collateral damage includes pesticide and antibiotic-tainted food, mad cow disease, E.coli contamination and salmonella poisoning.”
http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=12878056
March 22, 2009 at 4:07 am #661288
HunterGParticipantThx JT. I get all fired up and don’t know what to do with myself.
To use a few well loved cliques:
In today’s society one step leads to another, if we give them an inch they take a mile AND its a slippery slope. Oh and…”the powers that be” will do all that they can to control us.
If a bill like this (heaven forbid) is passed, taking away a basic freedom of survival who knows what “they” will try to take next, and they will try.
March 22, 2009 at 4:17 am #661289
JoBParticipantHunterG…
sadly, i believe that to be true…
Food safety bills backed by monsanto who sells it’s seed to those “filthy agribusinesses” are not so likely to be written to benefit consumers.
it’s amazing how misleading the synopsis of a bill can be.
March 22, 2009 at 4:46 am #661290
AnonymousInactivePerhaps this is part of the next phase of the stimulus plan, to create a force large enough to do the paperwork?
March 22, 2009 at 7:13 am #661291
AnonymousInactiveI’m curious who *they* are that will be taking stuff from us and why it’s been decided that this is a Monsanto backed bill?
This bill is being introduced by a Democrat and all 39 co-sponsors are Democrats. Because Monsanto is ONE client of the husband of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, this is a Monsanto backed bill?
Stan Greenberg is a political strategist who does polling and consulting on left-leaning policy. He’s worked for the Clinton, Gore, and Kerry campaigns. He co-founded Democracy Corp with James Carville.
I find it hard to believe that Mr. save the planet Gore would have an adviser who advocates against the interests of organic consumers.
March 22, 2009 at 9:01 am #661292
HMC RichParticipantJT, you are digging too deep. People don’t want truth, They want rhetoric and drama. Nice Job but, I think you mentioned a line from the OCA about moderate democrats and republicans which threw me. As you stated up above I saw only Democrats co-sponsoring the bill. Why did the OCA say moderate democrats and Republicans? I’m just curious.
Delauro to us righties is a bit left of left. I like the fact that the political strategist’s and the congress woman’s husbands name is GREENberg.
At first I thought he might be the writer named Stanley Green who adapted SOYLENT GREEN to the big screen. Uh Oh, Maybe he really is that person and Monsanto, GM and BP have a capitalist plot being promoted. I have seen banners flying behind those black ops helicopters that Monsanto has stopped aging through chemicals. Did I say that?
Anyway, He, Carville and Shrum are Democratic Political Consultants among other efforts. With Greenberg’s affiliation with British Petroleum, was he just as bad as Cheney and Bush last year??? Sorry, I got sidetracked.
McDermott would back this type of legislation due to his background. I really doubt there is malicious intent.
HunterG, government will eventually try to take everything from us or it deteriorates into complete anarchy. You have a right to be fired up. Keep it up.
March 22, 2009 at 12:52 pm #661293
KenParticipant(13) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-
(A) IN GENERAL- The term ‘food establishment’ means a slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.
(B) EXCLUSIONS- For the purposes of registration, the term ‘food establishment’ does not include a food production facility as defined in paragraph (14), restaurant, other retail food establishment, nonprofit food establishment in which food is prepared for or served directly to the consumer, or fishing vessel (other than a fishing vessel engaged in processing, as that term is defined in section 123.3 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations).
(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.
March 22, 2009 at 2:22 pm #661294
AnonymousInactiveKen, your information seems to confirm that all the paranoia is unfounded. If I’m reading it correctly, *any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation* is specifically EXCLUDED from this bill.
I’m still unsure why this is being opposed. IMO, slaughterhouse and food processors could stand some health safety oversight. Hasn’t it been revealed that the peanut processing plant knew about the salmonella contamination and did nothing?
Rich, I find a lot of truth to your comments. Facts seem to frequently be irrelevant. And I caught the moderate dem/rep comment as well. Not sure why that was said.
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