Got this from a farmer on the CinciLocavore list:

Scroll down to the bolded portion to find out what consumers can do to help out our farmers.

The Senate’s version of the food safety bill, S. 510, is expected to come to the floor in mid-April. While the Senate Committee made some changes to try to address the concerns of the local food movement, the bill still contains several provisions that would be extremely harmful for small, local food producers — both farmers and people making value-added products.

All of the well-publicized incidents of contamination in recent years occurred in industrialized food supply chains that span national and even international boundaries. The food safety problems in this system can and should be addressed without harming the local food systems that provide an alternative for consumers!

We are asking the Senators to support amendments to exempt small-scale and direct-marketing producers from the most burdensome requirements of the bill. These producers are already regulated by local and state authorities, and extensive federal regulation is both unnecessary and potentially crippling.

Please consider signing your ORGANIZATION on to the following “Dear Senator” letter by replying to Judith McGeary at FARFA or Margie MacDonald at WORC by TUESDAY, APRIL 6. You can email jmcgeary@att.net and/or mmacdonald@worc.org

For individuals, we encourage you to call or email your Senators to urge them to work for amendments to protect small and local producers. We’ll also send out an action alert next week with more detailed suggestions.

Thank you!
Judith McGeary
Margie MacDonald

— Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
www.farmandranchfreedom.org
Phone: 512-243-9404

*Support Fresh, Safe Local Food in the Food Safety Bill*

Dear Senator:

The undersigned organizations represent consumers, small farmers and ranchers, and local food producers who have serious concerns over the pending food safety legislation, S.510, the Food Safety Modernization Act. We urge you to support amendments so as to improve food safety without unnecessarily burdening and handicapping small-scale, local food producers.

All of the well-publicized incidents of contamination in recent years – whether in spinach, peppers, or peanuts – occurred in industrialized food supply chains that span national and even international boundaries. The food safety problems in this system can and should be addressed without harming the local food systems that provide an alternative for consumers.

The growing trend toward healthy, fresh, locally sourced vegetables, fruit, dairy, and value-added products *improves *food safety by providing the opportunity for consumers to know their farmers and processors, to choose products on the basis of that relationship, and to readily trace any problems should they occur.

Farmers and processors who sell directly to consumers and end users have a direct relationship with their customers that ensures quality, safety, transparency and accountability. In addition, small-scale food producers are already regulated by local and state authorities, and the potential risk their products pose is inherently limited by their size. For these farmers and processors, new federal requirements are unnecessary and would simply harm both the food producers and their consumers.

Although the Committee-passed bill includes some provisions for flexibility for small and diversified producers, S. 510 still would establish new hazardous analysis and risk-based preventive controls for all facilities and authorize FDA to dictate growing and harvesting practices for produce. These requirements will impose significant expenses and burdens on individuals and small businesses.

_Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls_

We therefore urge you to support Senator Tester’s amendment to exempt small, local processing facilities from the bill’s hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls requirements and traceability requirements.

1) With respect to the hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls, add the following new section to Section 103:

(l) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN FACILITIES – This section shall not apply to a facility for a year if the average annual adjusted gross income of such facility for the previous three-year period was less than $500,000.

2) With respect to traceability, add the following new section to Section 204:

(f) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN FACILITIES – The traceback and recordkeeping requirements under this section shall not apply to a facility for a year if the adjusted gross income of such facility for the previous year was less than $500,000.

_FDA Produce Standards_

We also request that you consider an amendment to exempt direct-marketing farms from the FDA produce standards. With respect to the produce standards, add the following new section to Section 105:

(g) EXEMPTION FOR DIRECT MARKET FARMS – This section shall not apply to farms whose annual value of sales of food products directly to consumers, hotels, restaurants, or institutions exceeds the annual value of sales of food products to all other buyers.

Food safety is a priority for us all. We share the concerns that have led to this bill and appreciate Congress’s commitment to addressing these problems. Thank you for your consideration, and for your support of a safer, more sustainable food system and consumer access to healthy, local foods.

For more information, contact Sara Kendall at 202-547-7040 or sara@worc.org, or Judith McGeary at 512-243-9404 or Judith@FarmaAndRanchFreedom.org.

*(signatories as of April 2, 2010)*

_National and Multi-State Organizations:_

Acres, USA
Adopt a Family Farm of America
American Grassfed Association
Constitutional Alliance
The Cornucopia Institute
Family Farm Defenders
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Freedom21
Organic Consumers Association
Small Farmer’s Journal
Small Farms Conservancy
Western Organization of Resource Councils
Weston A. Price Foundation
_
State and Local Organizations:_

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
Dakota Rural Action
Dakota Resource Council
Empire State Family Farm Alliance (NY)
Idaho Rural Council
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
Innovative Farmers of Ohio
Maine Alternative Agriculture Association
Massachusetts SmallHolders Alliance
Northern Plains Resource Council
Oregon Rural Action
Powder River Basin Resource Council (WY)
Sustainable Food Center (TX)
Tuscaloosa Property Rights Alliance (AL)
Western Colorado Congress