FIRST MY GUNS, THEN MY MONEY, NOW MY CHICKENS

If you follow this link, FTCLDF.org, you will get more info about contacting your rep. We need to create an environment where local farmers can produce food for the area they live in. The average meal travels 1500 miles to your plate. This is not a political cause, this is a basic human rights issue. We should be able to produce, sell, buy and consume the food of our choice, without government interference. A time is coming when local food is going to be essential to our survival. I'd be willing to bet that big ag business is benefiting from this and is using their clout to push it through. It doesn't get much more basic, and important, than eating.

A new food safety bill is on the fast track in Congress--HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill needs to be stopped!

HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse.

HR 2749 does not address underlying causes of food safety problems such as industrial agriculture practices and the consolidation of our food supply. The industrial food system and food imports are badly in need of effective regulation, but the HR 2749 does not specifically direct regulation or resources to these areas.

ALARMING PROVISIONS (see Talking Points):
* Power to Quarantine a Geographic Area; the FDA can also Halt All Movement of All Food in a geographic area.

* Warrantless Searches of Business Records.

* Establishing a Tracing System for Food.

* Severe Criminal and Civil Penalties.

* Annual Registration Fee ($500 for 2010).

* Regulation of How Crops Are Raised and Harvested.