Thursday, April 15, 2010

Call - tell them to support the Tester Ammendment!

Senate Bill 510 is going to pass, but a series of amendments look like they are going to be included! However, it is my understanding that the Tester amendment is not included in the amendments which will definatly make it in. It will be debated separately and voted on alone.

According to food safety news "The most contentious amendment in consideration, proposed by Senator John Tester (D-MT), to exempt food facilities with under $500,000 gross sales from preventative control plan requirements, and traceback and recordkeeping provisions, will not be part of the manager's amendment, but will be debated separately when the bill is brought to the floor. "

Please note that Food Safety news is on the separate side of the issue from me and thinks this amendment is "asking for trouble." But their article outlines the amendments made and pending clearly so here is the link: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/farmers-make-gains-in-senate-battle/

I would ask you to call your senators and ask them to support the Tester Amendment and support your local farms.

1 comment:

Harry Hamil said...

I have posted a long comment on the Food Safety News article you are citing. We'll see if it gets posted. I expect it will be.

Thanks for your support of the local, healthy food movement in this important fight.

It will probably interest you to know that BJ Lawson, an MD and Republican Candidate for the 4th Congressional District in NC (centered around Durham and Chapel Hill) has publicly opposed S 510 in its entirety on the Republican National Convention blog (see http://rncnyc2004.blogspot.com/2010/04/william-bj-lawson-help-stop-food-safety.html). Furthermore, he has called on his supporters (see http://www.lawsonforcongress.com/posts/call-to-action-dont-let-burr-get-doled) to contact S 510 co-sponsor Richard Burr (R-NC) and call on him to accept the recommendations of Carolina Farm Stewardship Assn (CFSA) and to include them in his bill. BJ has also posted CFSA's important report on the impact S 510 will have on NC's local, healthy food movement before CFSA has even gotten it on its website (see http://www.lawsonforcongress.com/sites/default/files/Hurting_NCs_Local_Food_Harvest.v2.pdf)