Food Safety Bill--A threat to small/organic farms--your voice is needed

From the Cornucopia Institute:
Action Alert

Senate Bill 510: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

Tell the Senate committee not to threaten quality organic and local food production

Act now! Contact your senator Today!
Our food safety system is broken. Industrialized food production gives rise to serious food safety problems, and our government's ability to regulate corporate agribusiness must be strengthened -- without harming small-scale and organic family farmers.

Bills in Congress propose to give more authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate for food safety, inspect food processing facilities, and order mandatory recalls. The House passed its own food safety bill in July. The Senate's bill is in committee and scheduled for a mark-up (committee vote) today

Allowing the FDA to crack down on corporate food producers that threaten our citizenry's health is a step in the right direction -- as long as legislation contains protections for small-scale, organic and local food systems. Small farms could be forced out of business by increasing costs for record-keeping, testing and other measures they will not be able to comply with. These are our country's safest farms -- part of the solution, not part of the problem!

Now is the time to contact Senate committee members (especially if one is from your state) that will make changes to the bill on November 18. Our message is: Senate Bill 510 must contain protections for small-scale and organic family farms.

Please call as many committee members as you have time for!
Take Action Today – Call Senate Committee Members
See the list below for Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Please call or fax their office, ask to speak with the aide in charge of food safety issues, and share the concerns of the small-scale and organic farming community with them.

List of Senate HELP Committee Members

Senator Phone
Democrats
Tom Harkin (IA) - 202-224-3254
Chris Dodd (CT) - 202-224-2823
Barbara Mikulski (MD) - 202-224-4654
Jeff Bingaman (NM) - 202-224-5521
Patty Murray (WA) - 202-224-2621
Jack Reed (RI) - 202-224-4642
Bernie Sanders (VT) - 202-224-5141
Sherrod Brown (OH) - 202-224-2315
Bob Casey (PA) - 202-224-6324
Kay Hagan (NC) - 202-224-6342
Jeff Merkley (OR) - 202-224-3753
Al Franken (MN) - 202-224-5641
Michael Bennet (CO) - 202-224-5852


Republicans
Mike Enzi (WY) - 202-224-3424
Judd Gregg (NH) - 202-224-3324
Lamar Alexander (TN) - 202-224-4944
Richard Burr (NC) - 202-224-3154
Johnny Isakson (GA) - 202-224-3643
Orrin Hatch (UT) - 202-224-5251
Pat Roberts (KS) - 202-224-4774
Tom Coburn (OK) - 202-224-5754
Lisa Murkowski (AK) - 202-224-6665