March 13, 2010 by Debra.

The U.S. Justice Department has announced that they will be investigating anticompetitive practices in agriculture, specifically the seed industry, which Monsanto dominates:

Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny 

 

During the depths of the economic crisis last year, the prices for many goods held steady or even dropped. But on American farms, the picture was far different, as farmers watched the price they paid for seeds skyrocket. Corn seed prices rose 32 percent; soybean seeds were up 24 percent.

 

Such price increases for seeds — the most important purchase a farmer makes each year — are part of an unprecedented climb that began more than a decade ago, stemming from the advent of genetically engineered crops and the rapid concentration in the seed industry that accompanied it.

 

The price increases have not only irritated many farmers, they have caught the attention of the Obama administration. The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.

 

The investigation is just one facet of a push by the Obama administration to take a closer look at competition — or the lack thereof — in agriculture, from the dairy industry to livestock to commodity crops, like corn and soybeans.

 

To read article > 

Also: 

Justice Dept. Tells Farmers It Will Press Agriculture on Antitrust

ANKENY, Iowa — The attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., traveled to the heart of Midwestern farm country on Friday to declare that the Obama administration was serious about rooting out anticompetitive practices in agriculture.

 

“Is today’s agricultural industry suffering from a lack of free and fair competition in the marketplace? That’s the central question,” Mr. Holder said.

 

He spoke at an unusual public meeting called to discuss the concerns of some farmers and ranchers that a few large companies had come to dominate many agricultural markets, controlling the seed that farmers plant and the milk they sell and the livestock ranchers raise.

 

Mr. Holder and the agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, who co-hosted the event, said their agencies would work together on antitrust enforcement.

 

To read article >

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March 3, 2010 by Heather.

Food safety is important to everyone. But sometimes, in an effort to make things safe, regulations come that can end up hurting some just as much as they can help. 

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), “we can’t let rules designed to address serious food safety deficiencies in our industrial food system shut down the move toward healthy, natural and local food.”

The Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) now on the Senate floor will increase FDA regulations on farms that even minimally process their crops and sell them to restaurants, food coops, groceries, schools, and wholesalers. The new regulations would include many expensive requirments that could erect substantial barriers to these important markets for small and mid-size farmers.

The NSAC recommends the following action:

Senator Gregg sits on the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which has jurisdiction over food safety legislation.  He needs to hear your views on this legislation!  

Calling your Senator is easy.

Step 1:  Call Senator Gregg’s office at (202) 224-3324 and ask to speak to the aide responsible for agriculture.  If the aide is unavailable leave a brief voice mail message.  Be sure to leave your name and a call back number.

Step 2:  Urge Senator Gregg to support amendments to S. 510 which:

-Focus FDA regulation only on those processing activities that present the most risk for causing food borne pathogen contamination.
-Exempt farms with modest gross sales from new FDA regulation.  These farms would still need to register with FDA and would be subject to existing state food safety regulation.
 -Exempt from recordkeeping requirements foods using labeling that preserves the identity of the farm all the way through the supply chain to the ultimate consumer.
-Exempt from recordkeeping requirements food produced on farms and sold directly to a consumer, restaurant, or grocery store. 
 -Cosponsor the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) introduced by Senator Stabenow (D-MI).  This bill creates a program to deliver training and technical assistance appropriate to small and mid-scale farms to reduce the incidence of food borne illness.

For more information visit:

the NSAC’s blog http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/

the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.2758:

the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:2:./temp/~c111FUxNNm::

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March 2, 2010 by Heather.

All parents try to make sure that their children learn how to eat well. But there is only so much you can do about what they’re eating at school.  Or is there? The following Action Alert from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) urges people to contact their representative to support Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) in his Farm to School Improvement Act.

 ”As a way to get healthy food grown by local family farmers into school lunches, NSAC is urging Congress to include $50 million in mandatory funding over the next five years for the national Farm to School program as part of the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization scheduled for action this year.”

Some background on the program from NSAC:

The Farm to School Program would provide one-time competitive grants to schools or non-profit organizations to develop purchasing relationships with local farmers, plan seasonal menus, start school gardens, develop hands-on nutrition education, and provide solutions to infrastructure problems including storage, transportation, food preparation, and technical training.

The Farm to School grant program was authorized in the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, but USDA has never requested any funding for the program.  Congress now has an opportunity to fund this important program when it reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act in 2010.
 
Congressman Rush Holt . . . introduced a bill [on Friday February 26] to make improvements to the authorization for the Farm to School program and, most importantly, provide the $10 million a year in mandatory funding ($50 million over the five year life of the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization).  Co-sponsoring this important legislation is an excellent opportunity for other legislators to show support for Farm to School.   
 
Farm to School initiatives around the country have demonstrated that Farm to School is a win-win-win for children, schools, local communities and farmers — providing abundant reasons why this initiative should be available to schools throughout the country:

•    The choice of healthier produce options in the school cafeteria through Farm to School results in children consuming more fruits and vegetables, leading to lifelong improvements in their diets;

•    Schools report a 3 to 16 percent increase in school meal participation when farm-fresh food is served, bringing more school lunch funds to the schools;

•    Working creatively with local producers, some schools have found ways to save money while supporting local agriculture by purchasing locally;

•    The transaction from Farm to School keeps dollars in the local economy, strengthening local economies and creating jobs;

•    Schools provide an important new market opportunity for small and mid-sized family farmers and ranchers.

To contact your representative, visit https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.

For more information on the bill, visit NSAC’s blog,  http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/new-farm-to-school-bill/, or read the bill itself at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.+4710:.

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February 17, 2010 by Debra.

Recent postings here and here have concerned GMO-related legislation in New Hampshire. The following Action Alert from Food For Maine’s Future concerns possible deregulation of GMO alfalfa, which threatens to contaminate organic foods and crops nationally. The USDA’s position is that genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa meets current standards, however, acknowledges that GE alfalfa is virtually certain to contaminate non-GE seeds. The extended deadline for public comment provides you the opportunity to help urge the USDA to protect organic farmers and consumers, and reject deregulation of GMO alfalfa, a potentially dangerous precedent:

DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON USDA ALFALFA EIS EXTENDED TO MARCH 3

In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS). USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period is now open until March 3, 2010. This is the first time the USDA has done this type of analysis for any GE crop. Therefore, the final decision will have broad implications for all GE crops.

Take a minute right now to tell the USDA GE alfalfa is unnecessary and poses too great a risk to organic producers and people who want GE-free food. Suggested comments are included here. Cut and paste into the USDA page (link) or compile your own comments.

*Please be aware that this is a Federal docket and any personal information you share may be publicly posted by USDA or other government agencies.

To review the EIS: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/downloads/alfalfa/gealfalfa_deis.pdf and supplemental documents here: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/alfalfa_documents.shtml.

Provide your comments to USDA APHIS No Later Than March 3, 2010.

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February 6, 2010 by Debra.

The proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) which many farmers objected to has been abandoned. Officials state that it would be left to the states to devise their own system. New federal rules are to be developed but would apply only to animals being moved in interstate commerce:

U.S.D.A. Plans to Drop Program to Trace Livestock

Faced with stiff resistance from ranchers and farmers, the Obama administration has decided to scrap a national program intended to help authorities quickly identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

In abandoning the program, called the National Animal Identification System, officials said they would start over in trying to devise a livestock tracing program that could win widespread support from the industry.

The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, will announce the changes on Friday, according to officials at the Agriculture Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public.

The officials said that it would be left to the states to devise many aspects of a new system, including requirements for identifying livestock.

New federal rules will be developed but the officials said they would apply only to animals being moved in interstate commerce, such as cattle raised in one state being transported to a slaughterhouse in another state.

It could take two years or more to create new federal rules, the officials said, and it was not clear how far the government would go to restrict the movement of livestock between states if the animals did not meet basic traceability standards.

To read entire article >

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February 6, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

From the good folks at ATTRA:

Take Action on Food Safety Legislation
While we all cheer this Administration’s emerging emphasis on local and regional food production, let s not forget that the Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) now on its way to the Senate floor could erect a formidable barrier to those markets for many small and moderate sized farms. The Act would considerably ramp up FDA regulation on farms that even minimally process their crops and sell them to restaurants, food coops, groceries, schools or to wholesale markets. One of the best ideas for improving this legislation has been introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). The Stabenow Amendment is called the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) and it would create a national food safety training and technical assistance program. If you value safe, local, and healthy food, please call your Senators and encourage them to co-sponsor the Growing Safe Food Act.
Related ATTRA Publication:   Food Safety Act Background and Resources

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