What are the new food safety standards for organic farmers & growers?
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Question by Elmbeard: What are the new food safety standards for organic farmers & growers?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjVXTp2WynUsEtgygSx01NHQ7BR.;_ylv=3?qid=20090320125648AAfmxio
The article linked in this question suggests that Monsanto has successfully lobbied the US Federal Government into passing an Act that outlaws organic agriculture in the USA by setting minimum fertilisation and pest control standards set by Monsanto, one of whose directors is related to the Government official who got this law through.
I am from the UK. Does this mean I have to boycott American produce if I wish to support an ethical form of agriculture?
Should I also write to my MEP to extend a ban on American produce throughout the EU, because it fails to respect this method of producing food, yet still claiming to be the Land of the Free?
Despite the election of President Obama, is America still putting the interests of big business corporations above ethics and the backyard American trying to fill a niche in the market?
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
One Response to What are the new food safety standards for organic farmers & growers?
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Ah HR 875. this bill was not introduced by Monsanto, nor written by Monsanto. this bill is still in committee and will likely never be voted upon by the US house of representatives much less signed into law by president Obama.
Most of what you read on the Net about this is simple fear mongering not based on much reality. this bill will not out law organic farming, it will not shut down farmers markets nor will it out law back yard gardening. From the statements i read by DeLauro (the bill’s author) and other sponsors the bill will go after producers who net more than $ 250K per year and do either interstate (national) distribution or international sales. It will not effect small growers such as myself in any way shape or form.
I find it amusing that those of us who are politically active and savvy and make our living from small farming and selling food direct to the public are not upset at all by this bill but people who have no idea how a bill becomes law and do not farm or even buy locally are all paranoid about it.
I will say as it stands now this bill is too broadly written and because of that one could read it as an attack on the small farmer but if one reads it rationally they can see there are not many threats in the bill (which has had at least one rewrite to make the language less broad and upsetting)
I say a lot about this on my blog http://www.boulderbelt.blogspot.com
and here is another rational article about this bill http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17370.cfm
and this
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17356.cfm
no you do not need to start boycotting American food or getting your MEP to extend a ban on US produce as nothing has happened to kill organics in the US and there is almost a zero% chance this will happen. But you can boycott Monsanto products on principle.
ohiorganic
December 30, 2011 at 4:17 pm