Why Senator Merkley Needs to Hear from You on S.510

November 13, 2009

All summer long and into the fall we've watched a well-meaning but overzealous food safety bill pass through the legislative process. You called, you wrote letters and emails. You let your Congressmen and Congresswomen know that one size does not fit all when it comes to food safety.

Now the Senate's version of the food safety bill - S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act - has entered the markup stage in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and will be up for a vote next week on November 18. This is an important stage in which to introduce amendments before it hits the Senate floor.

Oregon's own Senator Jeff Merkley serves on this committee and Oregon Rural Action and WORC have been working with him and his staff to address our concerns. Senator Merkley has expressed support for considering the needs of small producers and their customers in this important food safety bill, but he needs to hear from you.

It is urgent that you contact Senator Merkley before November 18 and ask him to work with Committee Chairman Harkin and Ranking Republican Enzi to:

• Include the House language for exemption of small, direct market farmers and processors from FDA oversight and regulation, including trace back requirements;
• Exempt small, direct market farmers from FDA produce regulations; and
• Clarify  in S.510 such definitions as "facilities" and "retail establishments," using the House bill's language

Call Senator Merkley's D.C. at (202) 224-3753 or use the online contact form at merkley.senate.gov/contact/

If you call, please send us a quick note to let us know you've taken action. That way we can measure the impact of our efforts.

More Information and Action:

Even midst one of the worst recessions in the past 50 years, Oregon's farmers' markets and direct market agriculture businesses are growing, providing an exciting new economic sector. Food safety is a priority shared by all. It is not compromised by the growing trend toward healthy, fresh, locally sourced vegetables, meats, fruits, dairy and small processing firms reinvigorating local food systems. Such local food systems are inherently safer and traceable.

• Read the Oregonian op-ed by Oregon Rural Action members Phil and Dianne Greif, "Food safety: One size doesn't fit all"
• Read about the joint letter that Oregon Rural Action signed with twenty other grassroots groups calling for improvements to the Senate bill
  
• Read our past action alerts on the food safety legislation
  
• Read "Why Small Farms Are Safer" from the Atlantic magazine
• Download a PDF fact sheet on S.510

If you'd like to go the extra mile in ensuring that small producers are not disproportionately impacted by one size fits all food safety legislation, please visit the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee webpage and follow the links in the left-hand column to contact each of the committee members with the same request to clarify definitions and exempt small producers from regulations intended for the long and convoluted supply chains of industrial agriculture. Make sure you contact them before November 18!

You can also do more by forwarding this action alert on to your email lists and asking your friends and family to take action.