HR 875 Would Essentially Outlaw Family Farms In The United States

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the bear is back biatches!! printing cancel....
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here come the commies

time for the dems to try take out organic farmers and small family farmers in general

monsanto, ADM, cargill etc.....i'm sure lobbying hard for this

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I get a lot of e-mails each day and one today (hi Cheryl!) pointed my attention to HR 875, a bill introduced into the 111th Congress. SO, I went and did something that members of Congress rarely do and actually read the bill.More accurately, I glanced through it which is still more than they ever do. It was introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT 3rd) and, as of this writing, has around 36 co-sponsors including my Congressman, Andre Carson (D-IN 7th). It immediately strikes me as being terribly bad legislation.

Under a heading described as protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of food it creates a "Food Safety Administration" within Health and Human Services. Oddly, it doesn't just add regulations to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which is also under HHS. And don't we have the USDA as well? The bill applies to all manner of "Food Establishments" and "Food Production Facilities" (note the following excerpt).

(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.​

The bill would appear to even cover some fishing boats and potentially your downtown hot dog street vendors. "Transportion" of food also could be covered. In fact, the bill probably would also apply to your family garden since no exemption is apparent.

What it essentially does is place a tremendous regulatory burden on all of these organizations and individuals by requiring them to have "food safety plans", consider all relevant hazards [note: I wish Congress would consider all "relevant hazards" or unintended consequences of everything THEY did], testing, sample keeping and to maintain all kinds of records. The bill also allows the government to dictate all manner of standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, packaging, temperature controls and other items.

This massive bloat in government regulation (and taxpayer expense to support it) would add additional cost and headache to every farm, some fishing boats, slaughterhouse, processing plant, CO-OP and anyone else associated with growing, storing, transporting or processing food. The bill authorizes fines of up to $1,000,000 (one million) dollars for "each act" and for "each day" of a violation.

We'll skip over the concern over how important food production and distribution, largely recession proof, could be if our economy continues to decline and inflation takes hold and just address this on the apparent lunacy that it is. As those familiar with history know, large dominant corporations often will use government to demand industry regulations that force the small competitor out of business or introduce barriers to entry that prevent new companies from starting up to compete. In the early part of the 20th century a tremendous amount of regulation was written by the industries themselves to be enacted into law.

In this case, I think this bill could do tremendous harm to family farms or independent food operators. Only massive companies have the ability to meet these regulations and imagine the legal expenses that could be incurred to defend oneself? Never forget, the government has near unlimited resources where you might have to cough up $200 to $500 an hour for a good attorney to defend yourself, your farm, boat, truck, restaurant, orchard, vineyard or hot dog stand. And what about the increased cost of food associated with the cost of compliance, it's not unreasonable to think that many places would have to hire staff or outside assistance just to comply with the law.

We have an excellent history in the United States of safe food, but as Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel suggested recently, "You should never want a serious crisis to go to waste." He spoke those words relative to looking for opportunities to do things that people would not otherwise accept without some crisis. We should be very careful not to let the very rare instance of something like the recent peanut problem be used as such a "crisis". There is no impetus to point the bureaucrats of government and the guns they control, their ability to not only deprive someone of life or freedom but to destroy whole families, careers and reputations, at everyone in the country who might be involved in ensuring we have stuff to eat.

We're doing just fine without this legislation.
 

Conservatives, Patriots & Huskies return to glory
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tizdoom, I'm beginning to think your wish just may come true, in a sense. Obama is moving this country so far to the left that it may bring about the political rebellion you desire. I can't go that far just yet, but I do believe the door is being kicked in for a real fiscal conservative to rise to power much like Newt did in 1994. Hopefully, that person will be a Newt supercharged.
 

the bear is back biatches!! printing cancel....
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yeah we'll see how things go i can only hope

dubya and the neocons fascist ways sowed the seeds that allowed the marxist commies to take control of our country for now

we can only hope people wake up as this all evolves and begin to see beyond the right/left shite and see what is truly happening in this country and REAL conservatives rebuild the GOP to fight the commies going forward

i'm just glad the stock market and economy hadn't totally gone to shit prior to obama and the commies gain of power....that's a key difference i think here between now and the 30s

FDR and the commies came in when things couldn't get any worse so they had control for a long time and got FDR elected to 4 terms and were able to blind the people for a long time
 

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Thanks for posting this vital information Tisnow. Clearly, the government seeks to control all aspects of the factors of production in agriculure from the raw material to the finished product. So much focus is given to Obama's administration and the democrats on their new stimulus packages, adult stem cell research, gun legislation, etc. that people lose sight of how socialistic this plan is. If passed, it will vitualy destroy Agri Business who thrives on a free market principle and this legislation should be considered treasonous in the American Farmers eyes. The reason I am so interested in the legislation was because my grandfather was an American Farmer. I would hope that even the most liberal person in the group would see how this is very bad for our farmers and by implementing such a plan would might even hasten even more of an economical crisis by possible crashing the futures market. We should have learned from the Soviet Union's example of how "Collective Farming" does not work and should seek to not repeat the same mistake. God Bless Our American Farmers.
 

the bear is back biatches!! printing cancel....
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yeah all the farm subsidies that the dems play as helping the small farmers in fact aid the big corporate farms for the most part

being in iowa i understand well how this game is played

and its all a dog and pony show

to help the monsanto, ADM, cargill, big corporate farms etc.....gain more control over our food supply

just another example of the corporatism that plagues our political/economic structure

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DEAC, punter all you obama lefty guys.....

got any response to this legislation supported by your dems?

i'm in an obama mania town

and the people here are hippies that love their organic food, farmers markets, and co-ops (me included)
 
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the bear is back biatches!! printing cancel....
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more details from the kooks from over at campaign for liberty

i'll be keeping a very close eye on this one....i don't think it will pass but ya never know....very scary piece of legislation IMO

also looks like this would be another example of infringement on states rights in violation of the 10th amendment.....like other things in recent past like the real ID act for instance

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HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment

Posted by LydiaScott on 03/06/09 03:36 AM

[Older: Is this an opportunity to push the Indiana Honest Money act? ]

HR 875 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c1112RD9bb:e11439:

This bill is sitting in committee and I am not sure when it is going to hit the floor. One thing I do know is that very few of the Representatives have read it. As usual they will vote on this based on what someone else is saying. Urge your members to read the legislation and ask for opposition to this devastating legislation. Devastating for everyday folks but great for factory farming ops like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson to name a few.

I have no doubt that this legislation was heavily influenced by lobbyists from huge food producers. This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.

DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, READ THIS LEGISLATION FOR YOURSELF. The more people who read this legislation the more insight we are going to get and be able to share. Post your observations and insights below. Urge your members to read this legislation and to oppose the passage of this legislation.

Pay special attention to

* Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it's entirety.
* section 103, 206 and 207- read in it's entirety.

Red flags I found and I am sure there are more...........

* Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.
* Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use the word organic.
* Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it.
* Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game.
* Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.
* Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. Who do you think they are going to side with?
* Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more.
* Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
* There are many more but by the time I got this far in the legislation I was so alarmed that I wanted to bring someone's attention to it. (to the one person who reads my blog)

Didn't Stalin nationalize farming methods that enabled his administration to gain control over the food supply? Didn't Stalin use the food to control the people?

Last word...... Legislate religion and enforce gag orders on ministers on what can and can't be said in the pulpit, instituting regulations forcing people to rely soley on the government, control the money and the food. What is that called? It is on the tip of my tongue..........

I haven't read any of the Senate's version of the bill as I have been poring thru the House's version. Here is the link and I hope some of you can take a look and post your observations and insights below. One thing I am pretty sure of is that very few if any Senator's have actually read the legislation and when it comes up for a vote they will more than likely take someone else's word on how they should vote. The other thing I am pretty sure about is that the legislation was probably written by lobbyists and industry experts.

S 425 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s425:

Things you can do

1. Contact your members at 202-22... and ask them to oppose HR 875 and S 425. While you are at it ask them if they personally have read the legislation and what their position is? If they have not read the legislation ask them to read it and politely let them know that just because other representitives are not reading the legislation and voting on it does not mean they can do the same.
2. Get in touch with local farmers and food producers by attending a local farmers market and asking them how business is.
3. Attend a local WAPF meeting, this is a good start to learning about what is going on in farming and local & state initiatives . The website is http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html
4. Check out the Farmers Legal Defense Fund at http://www.ftcldf.org/index.html
5. Find out who sits on your states agriculture and farming committee and contact them with your concerns.
6. Continue to contact your elected officials and let them know your position on legislation and why.
7. Get active at the local and state levels, this is the quickest way to initiate change.
 

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Until the bill gets passed in committee, it's just one of the several hundred bills introduced each year that will likely die a death without even a sniff at passage by one or both Congressional bodies
 

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After the bill gets passed in committee, it's just one of the several hundred bills introduced each year that will likely passwithout even a reading at passage by one or both Congressional bodies

Edited for exactness.........
 

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Here in SC, textiles were the main industry for years until that market went overseas for cheaper labor. We still have some agriculture, but if this is passed, I can only think of doom for agriculture in our state. Also in Georgia where especially in South Georgia, people depend heavily on farming for a living. North Carolina with their tobacco and in the Mid West with corn and livestock. Absolutely UNBELEIVABLE.
 

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Until the bill gets passed in committee, it's just one of the several hundred bills introduced each year that will likely die a death without even a sniff at passage by one or both Congressional bodies

most likely....these days you just never know though

@)
 

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Here in SC, textiles were the main industry for years until that market went overseas for cheaper labor. We still have some agriculture, but if this is passed, I can only think of doom for agriculture in our state. Also in Georgia where especially in South Georgia, people depend heavily on farming for a living. North Carolina with their tobacco and in the Mid West with corn and livestock. Absolutely UNBELEIVABLE.

well its doesn't really ruin the overall business persay

it just places a burden a family farmer who normally would own his own land and his own destiny instead and pushes him harder towards selling out and working for a big corporate farm that can afford the added expenditures of this new "regulation"

just the general trend in america overall

as a whole

the policies and regulations and such implemented by government on the back of protecting you and I the little guy

are in reality helping the big corporations gain a larger market share....and have a unfair non free market advantage competing against small and medium sized businesses

one example i always have liked is minimum wage

who benefits from minimum wage hikes in the corporate world?

walmart your big corporations who have a much easier time paying for forced pay races than small businesses do
 

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DEAC, punter all you obama lefty guys.....


You've mistaken me for an Obama apologist. If it's a horrible piece of legislation I'm not going to pretend like it's not.

Sorry to disappoint.
 

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no way this will pass

if it does guys like punter, who advocate government intervention into all industries, will be ecstatic but unable to explain why

sorta feels like dubya gassed up and started the chainsaw so Obama and his boys can chop the rest of democracy and capitalism down. but who cares about that? he might have a six pack!
 

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Until the bill gets passed in committee, it's just one of the several hundred bills introduced each year that will likely die a death without even a sniff at passage by one or both Congressional bodies

Everyone thought UIEGA had no chance at passage the year that it was passed. All these assholes have to do is slip it into some gigantic bill at the last second and it's law.
 

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I dunno Tiz, 1st I have heard of it and I own a farm in west Texas.
 

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I dunno Tiz, 1st I have heard of it and I own a farm in west Texas.

Yeah...nothin ever gets past you...you watch PBS. :):)
 

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no way this will pass

if it does guys like punter, who advocate government intervention into all industries, will be ecstatic but unable to explain why

sorta feels like dubya gassed up and started the chainsaw so Obama and his boys can chop the rest of democracy and capitalism down. but who cares about that? he might have a six pack!

If you dont think there has been heavy govt intervention in farming for the last 50 years you are less informed than even I thought.

And I just wish that under republican watch that the SEC and banking and insurance govt overseers had been even slightly awake.
 

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If you dont think there has been heavy govt intervention in farming for the last 50 years you are less informed than even I thought.

And I just wish that under republican watch that the SEC and banking and insurance govt overseers had been even slightly awake.

some guy in those evil free markets easily discovered and was yelling at the SEC since 2000 that madoff was a pyramid scheme

but they didn't listen to his kooky ass as madoff was a well respected person in the financial industry
 

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