Dear Earl:
You neglected to include this portion of the WSJ article:
"Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D., Conn.), a longtime advocate of tougher food-safety laws, said the legislation already addresses smaller producers’ concerns. For instance, farms selling products directly to consumers from a fruit stand or farmers market would be exempt from some fees and requirements.
“We’ve made all kinds of accommodations to small farmers so that they are not put at risk,” she said.”
As someone who has read the bill, let me address your points.
1. No facility not already registered will be required to register. There will be no fees imposed.
2. This is a ridiculous idea. Conspiracy theory and not based on anything within the bill.
3. The increase in FDA inspectors will allow the FDA to conduct regular inspections of high-risk facilities that are what you might consider “big business”. Additionally, more FDA inspectors are needed to fulfill this bills direction to inspect foreign facilities that export to the US.
4. Once again, food processing facilities of the highest risk factor will garner the more frequent inspections. All facilities already registered will be inspected regularly.
5. The FDA has the power to exempt small, low-risk facilities under this bill. The fees and paperwork are explicitly required to be responsive to the size of the business and flexible so that small businesses are not burdened. It is written in S. 510.
6. The DHS would only get involved if necessary. Since DHS was created, it has had authority and/or involvement in many major departments within the executive branch. This bill is nothing new in that respect.
7. It does not mandate harmonization. It requests that FDA receive comment and advice as to whether or not it should harmonize.
8. Once again, no registration fees are included in S. 510. Nor is there any mention of the level of any fines.
9. S. 510 calls for the establishment of “minimum safety standards”. These standards cannot conflict with the standards of the National Organic Program. Since organic standards disallow GM seed, it is extended that FDA’s standards must not include GM seed.
10. In the event of a major emergency, the FDA, USDA, and DHS will work with the public to coordinate a collective response.
11. The FDA will have access to paperwork involving production safety procedures and purchase and sale records. This will assist FDA in tracing the source of an outbreak and making sure contaminated products don’t continue to pose a threat.
12. Opponents to S. 510 are wrong. It does not deal with the cleaning of seeds."
http://thehill.com/images/stories/blogs/smallfarms.pdf
You can sign SlowFood USA’s petition to pass S. 510 here: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=2652
