Organic farming to be illegal?

[PaulaSB12]

I found this on an allotment site, it seems these people in Monstanto don't like anyone but them deciding how your food is grown and want to make it illegal for organic farming to exist and if you read the news you could get done if you grow your own.

http://blog.friendseat.com/rosa-delauro-hates-small-farms1/

 

[AshleyW]

I found this on an allotment site, it seems these people in Monstanto don't like anyone but them deciding how your food is grown and want to make it illegal for organic farming to exist and if you read the news you could get done if you grow your own.

http://blog.friendseat.com/rosa-delauro-hates-small-farms1/

The bill was introduced to congress in early 2009, referred to several committees, and hasn't been talked of since. It likely won't make it's way out of the committees and will die an ugly death.

ETA: and in case it did come out of the committees, here's a good article from FactCheck: http://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/illegal-backyard-garden/

 

[flipturngirl]

I need to read titles of threads more carefully sometimes...

 

[Colleen27]

That bill died in committee and was never intended to effect home gardening, but has basically been reintroduced. The current incarnation is still generating some alarm in gardening/sustainable agriculture circles. There's nothing in it that would restrict or outlaw home gardening, but there is, via vague wording, some concern about how it could be applied to farmers markets, farm stands, and other farm-to-consumer sales models:

‘SEC. 419A. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR PRODUCE AND CERTAIN OTHER RAW AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.

‘(a) Standards- The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall establish by regulation scientific and risk-based food safety standards for the growing, harvesting, processing, packing, sorting, transporting, and holding of those types of raw agricultural commodities--
‘(1) that are a fruit, vegetable, nut, or fungus; and
‘(2) for which the Secretary has determined that such standards are reasonably necessary to minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.
‘(b) Contents- The regulations under subsection (a)--
‘(1) may set forth such procedures, processes, and practices as the Secretary determines to be reasonably necessary--
‘(A) to prevent the introduction of known or reasonably foreseeable biological, chemical, and physical hazards, including hazards that occur naturally, may be unintentionally introduced, or may be intentionally introduced, including by acts of terrorism, into raw agricultural commodities that are a fruit, vegetable, nut, or fungus; and
‘(B) to provide reasonable assurances that such commodity is not adulterated under section 402;
‘(2) may include, with respect to growing, harvesting, processing, packing, sorting, transporting, and storage operations, standards for safety as the Secretary determines to be reasonably necessary;
‘(3) may include standards addressing manure use, water quality, employee hygiene, sanitation and animal control, and temperature controls, as the Secretary determines to be reasonably necessary;
‘(4) may include standards for such other elements as the Secretary determines necessary to carry out subsection (a);

The concern is rooted mainly in the fact that it puts so much power in an appointed official, so should someone particularly industry friendly be appointed to the position - and with former Monsanto employees at the highest levels of our food safety and agricultural agencies that's a very strong possibility - the bar could be set at a point that no non-industrial farm could reach.

BTW, this version did pass the House and the companion bill was referred from committee for consideration by the full Senate, but they've been so busy on the hot topics of the moment that it hasn't come to the floor yet.