More on HR 875 which could destroy organic farming

[Guest guest]

This is something written by a friend who is very knowledgeable about the

HR 875

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The problem with the bill as written is that the scope is large, the

language vague, and the punishments dire enough to put small scale concerns such

as community-supported agriculture arrangements and farmers' markets, which

constitute an important segment of the growing organic and localvore food

movements (and, therefore, a direct competitor of the large-scale

industrial agriculture companies - Monsanto, Cargill, and

Archer-s-Midland),

out of business. For example, the definition from the bill of " a food

production facility means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, acquaculture

facility, or confined animal feeding operation. " That includes the farms and

orchards at my local farmer's market. Similarly, again from the bill, the

definition from the bill " a food establishment that processes all other

categories of food no described in paragraph (5)-(7) " describes every enclosure

in

which food is produced, including my kitchen (sometimes). If they

don't intend to regulate my kitchen, why don't they say so. These are

lawyers writing these bills; they know the meaning of these words.

Below is a discussion of the reason that this bill could be used to

destroy organic farming, in which heritage seeds are planted, grown and saved

without the use of pesticides and fertilizer. The saving of seeds that beget

more seeds has kept people fed for tens of thousands of years, but Monsanto

has created and patented genetically-modified seeds (another huge issue

itself - for those interested, I recommend the excellent book " Uncertain

Peril " by Hope Cummings " or, if you don't have time to read a book, the

documentary " The Future of Food " available for instant viewing on Netflix).

These seeds do not produce more seeds, so the farmer has to buy more seeds

the next year. They also greatly reduce the biodiversity of crops.

Furthermore, Monsanto has already sued numerous farmers for " stealing " their

seeds

because they blew off trucks and grew in the farmers' fields.

The discussion that follows is from one of the links on the petition site.

HR 875 directly benefits Monsanto by stopping organic farmers from saving

seeds. It imposes a level of red tape that no small farmer could possibly

afford to comply with- threatening to impose gigantic fines of a million

dollars a day or 10 years in prison for non- compliance.

Below you'll find a solid analysis of the bill that I haven't previously

provided, and below that see how you can communicate with the House Committe

on Standards of Official Conduct to raise hell about the inherent conflict

of interest De Lauro is caught in vis a vis her husband's firm's business

relationship with Monsanto since Monsanto would directly benefit from

passage of this bill.

Watch how they will be able to easily criminalize seed banking and all

holding of seeds. First, to follow how this will be done, you must understand

that:

1. there is a small list inside the FDA called " sources of seed

contamination " and

2. the FDA has now defined " seed " as food,

3. so seeds can now be controlled through " food safety. "

Those seeds (so far) include:

*seeds eaten raw such as flax, poppy sesame, etc.;

*sprouting seeds such as wheat, beans, alfalfa, most greens, etc.;

* seeds pressed into oils such as corn, sunflower, canola, etc.;

*seeds used as animal feed such as soy ....

That includes most seeds. It may even be all seed, given how they are

skilled at 'new' definitions.

And what are the " sources of seed contamination " inside the FDA? They

include only six little items:

-agricultural water

-manure (but not chemical pesticides or fertilizers)

-harvesting,

- transporting equipment

- seed cleaning (sorting) equipment

-seed storage (storing) facilities

Did you know that seed cleaning equipment is THE single most critical

piece of equipment for sustainable agriculture? It is how we collect organic

seed. It is the machinery used after the season, when plants " go to seed, " to

separate out (sort) the seeds from the plant material so the farmer can

collect (harvest) and then save (put in storage) seed for the next year at

little cost. With his own seed, the farmer also stays free of patented,

genetically engineered, corporately privatized seeds.

This year, 2009, one item on the " sources of seed contamination " list is

suddenly illegal in some parts of this country - seed cleaning equipment.

To get the drift, perhaps you need to know that the people who clean seed

are being wiped out, as well.

How can they make such vital equipment illegal? Quietly, first of all, so

as not to alert organic farmers who have a lot of political ties. And by

saying it contaminates food. And by applying their innocent and reasonable

sounding " minimum standards. "

" Contaminate " is their favorite word since the public fears the deadly

contamination that industry itself - not farmers - has caused. That fear is

valuable. Scare the public and it is easy to get " food safety standards " set

without anyone reading them. 39 progressive co-sponsors leap on, thinking

this is about " food safety. " But it is only about the use of " food safety, "

not the reality of it

For to eliminate seed cleaning equipment, the FDA simple set minimum " food

safety " standards for seed cleaning (the simple separation of seed from

plant) such that a farmer would need a million to a million and a half dollar

building and/or equipment to meet the new requirements ... per line of

seed.

On the ground, where reality lives, a farmer in the midwest who has been

seed cleaning flax for 40 years with his hand made seed cleaner now can't

sell his flax on the market anymore. Never mind there are NO instances of

anyone ever having gotten sick from seed cleaning equipment. And a farmer in

another part of the midwest who has been cleaning wheat, corn and soy for

years with one single perfectly fine piece of equipment would now need three

to four and half million dollars for three separate pieces of equipment, in

order to satisfy the " food safety " standards.

For those who may be interested in reading more on this topic, I recommend

the following books on the food industry.

" Uncertain Peril " by Hope Cummings

" The End of Food " by

" In Defense of Food " by Pollan

" Food Politics " by n Nestle

" Stuffed and Starved " by Raj Patel

" Fat Land - How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World " by Greg

Critser

" Fast Food Nation " by Schlosser

" Skinny Bitch " by Rory Friedman and Kim Barnouin