During the last 20 years it wasn't just the banking industry that got de-regulated. The field of industrial agricultural was also operating without necessary safety oversight and thousands of Americans have been poisoned by tainted beef, peanuts, lettuce, almonds and spinach as a result.
HR 875 is a bill attempting to ensure greater food safety, but there have been emails circulating virally insisting that the bill will end organic farming and close many small farms. Several major organizations dedicated to protecting organic farms, markets and consumers have disputed the worst fears about HR 875, while suggesting some critical amendments to protect organic and small farmers.
The most prominent is the Organic Trade Association. Their alert about HR 875 clarifies that organic farms and backyard gardening are not threatened by this bill because "The proposed Food Safety Modernization Act only addresses food safety issues under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The National Organic Program is actually under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture." Click to read their full alert.
The Organic Consumers Association is neither opposing nor supporting HR 875, but instead calling on Congress to outlaw factory farming. Their approach to the bill is similar to that of the Pew Food Safety Initiative, which supports the bill while calling for changes to make sure it is not enforced through one-size-fits-all measures that would unfairly burden small farm producers.
The Cornucopia Institute is an organization cautiously supporting HR 875, saying "although stakeholders in the organic community need to be on-guard, the flurry of e-mails and internet postings suggesting that HR 875 will end organic farming as we know it seem to grossly exaggerate the risks." They continue with a detailed analysis of the different pieces of legislation working their way throught Congress right now:
"Several bills aimed at fixing the broken food safety system have been proposed. Of these bills, the FDA Globalization Act (HR 759) appears most likely to be voted on, with elements of the other bills, including the Food Safety Modernization Act (HR 875) and the Safe FEAST Act (HR 1332) possibly incorporated into the bill."
Ironically, in their opinion, HR 875 is in some ways a bill with a better chance of addressing some of the systemic problems with factory farming.
You can track the progress of HR 875 at http://www.govtrack.us
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.