Victory for Small Farms! Senate to Exempt From Food Safety Bill

[sixmile]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/19/food-safety-bill-act-small-farms-senate-tester_n_785898.html

'Some small farms would be exempt from government efforts to prevent foodborne illness under a Senate agreement on food safety legislation announced Thursday.

The food safety bill now pending in the Senate would give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to recall tainted products, increase inspections of food processors and require producers to follow stricter standards for keeping food safe. Operators of smaller farms and advocates for locally produced food have worried that the bill's requirements could force small farms out of business.

An agreement brokered by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana would attempt to allay those concerns, allowing farmers who make less than $500,000 a year in revenue and sell directly to consumers, restaurants or grocery stores within their states or within 275 miles of their farms to avoid expensive food safety plans required of larger operations. State and local authorities would still have oversight over those farms.'

more at link

[Champion Jack]

1. This is great news

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Having clients who are trying to buy such products for sustainable commercial use . . . . . .

. . . . this is excellent news.

I'm not sure how to relate to $500,000 in this context, but this is good news. And I *like* the idea of quantifying small farms as opposed to the ridiculous way we classify "small business."

[cleanhippie]

3. At the very least, it should decriminalize selling Raw Milk....

and put those that want to risk food borne illnesses to accept the full responsibility of doing so.

[truedelphi]

4. This victory is akin to telling someone, No we won't be choppping off your head,

Just three or four orf your limbs.

It ensures that most small farms will never be able to gorw to mid sized farms. Should a lucrative big money contract appear, they won't have the resources to deal with it.