Is the Vacation over already?

The blitz all started on March 11, a few days after our March 7 delivery. We got up early to drive to the Albany airport and get on an airplane heading south (after removing our shoes, belts, hats, and putting them all on again). The weather was great, the flights wonderfully uneventful and the landings smooth into West Palm Beach. It feels great to be 75 degrees! This was our first flight in a long time. This was also our first week long vacation away from the farm in two years. Yippee!

The southern east coast of Florida is very built up with many high rises right on the beach. I got an email the other day showing pictures of earth and that highlighted North America at night from the space shuttle and I was amazed at how “ablaze” the whole coast of Florida is. The town we were headed for had an ordinance about lights at night to help the nesting turtles and their hatchlings from walking the wrong way toward the lights and not heading for the ocean where the moon would be shining. But to see these pictures makes you wonder how daunting task it must be to uphold the law!

Some friends had recommended a very small (8 rooms 2 stories) Courtyard Villas which was right on the beach in Lauderdale by the Sea. The small courtyard had a big hot tub and a fountain that made us think we were in Italy! The beach was 300 yards away and the Gulf Stream sweeps by this area to help warm up the water. The Goodyear blimp flew up and down the beach daily along with a few helicopters, corporate jets, and the beach patrol guys in their buggies. One patroller was riding a Segway on the beach! That section of the coast is certainly built up and crowded but the high rises all stopped at the town line of Lauderdale by the Sea and the heights of all the buildings in town were much reduced in height. We read books and lolled around the beach and splashed and body surfed in the waves. That was the best part! The river taxi in the inland waterway took us on a tour of the many canals and waterfront homes with docks and boat houses and tie ups right outside. Ft Lauderdale is a maze of canals – although not quite like Venice.

We had a few days to visit my sister Judy and Taylor, her husband, in Jacksonville where it was a bit colder so our swimming excursions were over. They were on vacation from Oldfields School in Maryland where Taylor is the headmaster. Jacksonville is a very large city in population and activity as well as area. The city seems to surrounded by water and marshes everywhere. There are great marshes for kayaking as well as all sized waterways for fishing, ferries, cargo and cruise ships. The large national seashore there is quite lovely with natural dunes and sea and low grassy, shrubby salt tolerant plant life.

The morning we flew home was an order deadline day and we were right back in action, although much refreshed and renewed with new sites, topics and our short family reunion. One detail we never did find out was whether or not the palm trees (and I thought maybe it was just the coconut palms) were native to the area or not. Now they seem like clover; so integrated into the landscape that they look right but you don’t see them in the more remote, natural areas. Even the state is planting palms with the fan fronds along the highways and overpasses. Oh well, a google topic for another day.

When we came back to reviewing all my email I had a shock to see this headline:
FEDS TO BAN BACKYARD GARDENS?New Regulations to Shut Down Small Organic Farms$1 Million Fines: Lose Your Property for Growing Food
Small farms and backyard gardeners could be placed under direct supervision of the federal government under new legislation making its way through Congress.
The Feds are working on a plan that could ban organic farms and backyard gardens! The sponsors of House Resolution 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, are lurking in the shadows of Congress to quietly pass a diabolical scheme that levies up to $1 Million in fines to those food ‘rebels’ who dare to use organic fertilizer and now bow to big brother’s nasty chemicals and pesticides from the likes of Monsanto, etc. (See article below.)

So I wrote to Martha Goodsell and Bob Comis who both participate and are very knowledgeable on AG related topics to see if the hype was really true! I thought – oh, no, not another National Animal Identification System (NAIS) idea!!!

This reply was sent to me by Martha Goodsell who I believe was involved in the creation of NYFARMS! And she always seems to be on top of news topics.

NY Farms! publishes News to Share to provide information about food and farming to a wide range of interested individuals, organizations and businesses. It is a compilation from a variety of sources. Articles do not necessarily represent official positions of NY Farms! For more about NY Farms!
Visit www.nyfarms.info

Quote from Martha:

“Yes I've researched HR 845, but no, not all of what you're reading is true. Here's some research I've done on the food bills. I'm most concerned with Senate bill 510 and House bill 1332. Watch themvery closely. The bills are very similar though not conferenced at this point. They are broad sweeping reform bills, just as vague as HR 875 and could be just as, if not more, detrimental to small scale farmers and processors. Unlike HR 875 which exempts some activities which fall under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Acts and specifically excludes in section 3.14 any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation, there are no such express exceptions in these other two bills. The record keeping, product testing and HACCP requirements (all electronically of course) would be, in my opinion, overwhelming for most small scale operations. Look what HACCP did to our slaughterhouses-- gone! Any bill that will require one-size rules must be watched intently. These two bills( S510 and HR 1332) have bi-partisan support so don't let them off your radar by any means.

In the meantime, here's my submission to the Broader View Weekly, a small hometown paper, I write for.
Food Safety Bills of 2009
By Martha Goodsell

Internet users are up in arms regarding House Bill 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act, but much of what is circulating over the network is hype and inflated fears. However, that’s not to say that HR 875 is not a threat to both small scale and organic farmers and those consumers who support such farms. In its present form, it is a very real- though not a highly probable- threat. HR 875 is not the only food safety bill recently proposed following the peanut butter contamination. There are six other bills that must be monitored.

There are two federal agencies charged with food safety. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for wholesome meat and poultry under the guidelines of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the other hand, has the responsibility for oversight of manufactured food products, and all those products not under USDA jurisdiction. Unlike the USDA who inspects products and ensures Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) compliance in slaughterhouses and in meat and poultry product processing facilities, the FDA is charged with the annual inspection of manufacturing facilities. Only a few products monitored by the FDA are required to have and follow HACCP plans.

Thanks to Upton Sinclair, and his book The Jungle, the USDA oversight on meat and poultry is much stricter than for other food products currently. Many of these bills are looking to change that, by requiring food manufacturers to have and follow HACCP plans, which includes strict record keeping requirements. Unfortunately HACCP implementation poses a greater obstacle to small plants compared to larger facilities. Thus, the single greatest problem with all of these newly proposed food safety bills are that they are not designed with small and large operations in mind. Rather, they are written with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Knowing that many small operations will chose to close their doors, rather than comply with testing, record keeping, and all sorts of other requirements, these bills indirectly interfere with the rights of individuals to choose their foods. This threat of losing small farms – and thus one’s food choice- is feeding the current hysteria.

To read more about the bills visit http://www.govtrack.us/congress/legislation.xpd. Please contact your Washington representatives to express your support or opposition to the bills.
Read them here:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-510http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1332

Here is a summary of what’s pending:

HR 875 - The Food Safety Modernization Act, sponsored by Rosa Delauro (D- CT) (whose husband works for Monsanto) has 30 co-sponsors at this time. This bill splits the FDA into two units: one which would monitor food and the other to monitor medicinal drugs and medical devices. (The FDA is charged with monitoring both food and drugs so this is only a new approach, not a new duty.) The bill would increase the number - or frequency - of inspections. HR 875 would require HACCP plans. It would also require imports to meet US standards. (Currently as long as a foreign country has an “equivalent” inspection system, product is accepted with little or no further questions or testing.) HR 875 would establish a national traceability system that would require tracking “the history, use, and location of an item of food”. Section 3.13A specifically exempts those operations currently under USDA inspection under the FMIA or PPIA acts and section 3.14 exempts any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.

S425 - Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has no co-sponsors. This senate bill would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the establishment of a traceability system so that each article of food shipped in interstate commerce would require a full record keeping system. An audit system would provide for compliance. Premise registration would be mandatory. S425 amends the FMIA so that any person that has reason to believe that any carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product is inappropriately transported, stored, distributed, or otherwise mis-handled resulting in adulteration or misbranding shall serve notice to the secretary who shall then call on industry to withdraw the product. The PPIA and the Egg Product Inspection Act (EPIA) would be amended in the same fashion.

HR 814 - Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, sponsored by Diana DeGette (D-CO) has five co-sponsors. HR 814 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a traceability system for all stages of manufacturing, processing, packaging, and distribution of food. HR 814 would amend the FMIA by requiring identification and traceability for all cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and horses, mules, and other equines presented for slaughter. Without an identification number, farm records, and the ability to trace an animal’s movement, such an animal can not be presented for slaughter. The PPIA and the EPIA would be amended to establish similar provisions for poultry and poultry products and for eggs and egg products. It is interesting to note that nothing contained in HR 814 supports Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements.

HR 759- The Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, sponsored by John Dingell (D- MI) with eight co-sponsors, would require every food facility that manufactures, processes, packs, transports, or holds food for consumption in the United States to develop and implement a HACCP and food safety plan. HR 759 would require that all food facilities use standard lot numbers and that all facilities including food processors, farms and restaurants, keep electronic records. Food facilities must earn an accreditation status. This bill instructs the FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce and requiring those that grow and sell fresh fruits and vegetables to have a HACCP plan. COOL would be required. Only certified laboratories could conduct sampling and testing of food to ensure compliance.

S 429 - Ending Agricultural Threats: Safeguarding America's Food for Everyone (EAT SAFE) Act of 2009, sponsored by Senator Robert Casey (D- PA) with only one co-sponsor, focuses on imported and smuggled foods. This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish food safety and agroterrorism training programs. Notification of recalled food products would be provided to the public while notice of smuggled food products would be reported to the public and to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This bill amends the FMIA and the PPIA to establish civil penalties for failure to present imported meat and poultry products for inspection and requires the use of federally certified food safety labs for product testing. A food-borne illness education and outreach grant program would be established.

S 510 - A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) has 8 co-sponsors currently. This bill addresses the concerns of government to the use of or exposure to certain foods. If the Secretary of Agriculture believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to an article of food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, each person who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports such article shall provide access to that food article and to all records relating to such article. HACCP and preventive controls would be required for all manufacturers, processors, packers, distributors, receivers, holders, or importers. Safety standards would be established for production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. All premises would be required to be registered and pay annual inspection fees. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture, would facilitate public-private partnerships to help unify and enhance the protection of the agriculture and food system of the United States; including the sharing of information and intelligence relating to agriculture and the food system. The three agencies would identify best practices and methods for improving the coordination among Federal, State, local, and private sector preparedness and response plans for agriculture and food defense and would recommend methods to protect the economy and the public health of the United States from the effects of animal or plant disease outbreaks, food contamination and natural disasters affecting agriculture and food.

HR 1332 - Safe FEAST Act of 2009, sponsored by Jim Costa (D-CA) with 19 cosponsors. This is very similar to the senate bill S 510. All food manufacturers, processes, packers, or those who hold food for sale would be required to be registered. If the Secretary determines that food manufactured, processed, packed, or held by a facility has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, the Secretary may suspend the registration of the facility. In addition to having access to records and the product, the Secretary may direct the facility to order a recall. In addition to HACCP plans and record keeping requirements facilities would be required to: follow sanitation procedures, establish hygiene training, establish monitoring programs for environmental pathogen controls, implement an allergen control program, develop a recall contingency plan; follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs); and verify source suppliers. HR 1332 would encourage the building of domestic capacity through coordinated councils which would in part identify potential threats to the food supply and would establish surveillance systems through integrated networks. “

End quote of Martha Goodsell

If you have made it this far in your reading or skimming, congratulations!

If you have any activism trends in your bones, here are some food related items to comment on and pass your comments on to your representatives in NY, NY AG & Markets and your representatives in Washington, the USDA, and the FDA and the individual bills sponsors. The big issue is the rules will apply to all – the Campbells soup factory and Charles making Jam in his certified kitchen or our farm and the big feedlots of the west!! They all, at the very least, need clarification and adjustment of the rules for farms and processors of different sizes.

So as far as vacations go, these issues and topics brought us right back home!
We haven't been home long but we already seem far away from the ocean! Nancy