Please take a moment out of your busy schedule and have YOUR opinion heard.-

 

Vicki Morrone

Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist

Michigan State University

C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems

303 Natural Resources Bldg.

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-353-3542

517-282-3557 (cell)

517-353-3834 (fax)

http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/

http://www.mottgroup.msu.edu/

 


From: Judith McGeary [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 4:07 AM
To: Vicki Morrone
Subject: Reminder - Call Congress about the Farm Bill!

 

 

Keep up the Calls to Congress About the Farm Bill

 

Thank you to those who have already contacted their Congressmen and the Committees about  the Farm Bill!  Congress needs to know that we do not want NAIS in the Farm Bill, nor do we want them to pre-empt local and state laws on our food supply.  Calling takes just a few minutes, or you can write just one letter and send copies of it to each person.  That small investment of time is very important to the survival of independent agriculture! 

 

Protecting our rights is a marathon process, not a sprint.  The more often they hear from us, and the earlier in the process we get involved, the better.  So take a few minutes now, while the Farm Bill is still in draft form, and make your voice heard! And stay tuned for future action alerts, as votes occur and other bills come up.

 

More information, including talking points and contact information, is below.

 

 

 

The House Committee on Agriculture is working on a draft version of the Farm Bill that includes two sections that pose a threat to our food supply.  The draft language would link the National Animal ID System (NAIS) to Country of Origin Labeling and pre-empt local control of our foods. 

 

DRAFT FARM BILL PROVISIONS:  Section 121 of the draft would allow the USDA to use a mandatory animal identification system in order to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).  This would open the door for the USDA to link the National Animal ID System (NAIS) to COOL, forcing small farms out of business and harming our local food supply.  Read more about NAIS and COOL at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/NAIS-and-COOL  

 

Section 123 of the draft would bar states or localities from prohibiting any food or agricultural product that USDA has deregulated.  This provision would deny local or state and state rights to regulate such things as genetically engineered crops or food.   You can read the proposed provisions at http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/Legislation/110/LDP.pdf

 

The House Committee needs to hear from you NOW!  Below is the contact information for the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee.  Call or write them, using the talking points and a sample letter that are at the end of this alert.  And if one or more of the members of the Committee are from your state, send them a copy of your letter as well.

 

We also need to educate the Senate Committee on Agriculture and the rest of Congress, to provide protection against whatever the House Committee may pass.  Contact information for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and your Congressman and Senator, are also listed below.

 

TAKE ACTION: Talking points and a sample letter are at the end of this alert.  Please write, email, fax, or call following members (listed in order of importance):

 

1)  The Honorable Collin C. Peterson
Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture
1305 Longworth House Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-2171
Fax: 202-225-8510
Email: [log in to unmask]

 

2)  The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
Ranking Minority Member, House Committee on Agriculture
1305 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-0029
Fax: 202-225-0917
Email: [log in to unmask]

 

3) Any member of the House Committee on Agriculture who comes from your state. All of the members are listed below, and it's important that the members hear from the people within their state.  The members are listed in order of their states (starting with Alabama and ending with Wisconsin).

 

4)  Senator Harkin
Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry
Room SR-328A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC. 20510-6000
Phone: 202-224-2035   

 

 

Message:  Please strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill. The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL should not be changed, and NAIS should not be put into the Farm Bill.  Further, the USDA should not be able to pre-empt state and local government control over food safety.

 

As always, if you have any questions, you can contact us at [log in to unmask] or call 866-687-6452.

 

 

 

Talking Points 

* Please strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill.  I oppose both the National Animal ID System (NAIS) and pre-emption of state and local control of our food supply.

*Section 121 / National Animal ID System: The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) should not be changed. 

--COOL can be implemented simply by requiring that all imports of live animals or food be identified with a country of origin marking.  Requiring U.S. livestock owners to individually identify and track all domestic livestock is not necessary. 

--Using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL would impose heavy burdens on American farmers and ranchers, in both time and money. A National Animal ID System (NAIS) would drive independent ranches and farms in America out of business. 

--The purpose of COOL is to provide information so that consumers can choose whether to buy domestic or foreign products and, as a hoped-for result, providing American farmers and ranchers with economic rewards for raising food in this country. 

--NAIS will harm American farmers and ranchers, directly contrary to the goal of COOL.

* Section 123 / Federal Pre-emption: Section 123 section would pre-empt the rights of state and local governments to regulate food or agricultural products that USDA has granted "non-regulated" status.  This deprives citizens of their rights to enact laws to protect health and public safety at the local level.  Local and state governments need to retain their authority to regulate food and agricultural products, including genetically engineered (GE) foods and crops.

 

 

 

 Sample letter or email 

 

If you use email, be sure to put a clear subject line, such as  "Keep NAIS and Pre-emption language out of the Draft Farm Bill"

 

Dear Chairman Peterson and Members of the Committee:

 

I ask that you strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill. Section 121 would allow the USDA to use mandatory animal identification to implement Country of Origin Labeling, while Section 123 would pre-empt state and local laws regulating food and agricultural products.  I strongly oppose both provisions.

 

I am a _______ (farmer, consumer, ... Tell them a few sentences about yourself and why you care about this issue)

 

The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) should not be changed, and the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) should not be added to the Farm Bill.  COOL can be implemented by requiring all imported livestock to be identified with a country of origin marking, which is already a requirement for cattle imported from Mexico or Canada. Requiring U.S. cattle producers to individually identify and track all livestock is not necessary. 

 

Using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL will impose heavy burdens on American farmers and ranchers, in both time and money.  NAIS will drive independent ranches and farms in America out of business.  The purpose of COOL is to provide information so that consumers can choose whether to buy domestic or foreign products and, as a hoped-for result, providing American farmers and ranchers with economic rewards for raising food in this country. Mandatory animal identification will harm all Americans' rights and our economy, canceling out the benefits of COOL.

 

In addition, state and local government regulation of our food supply should not be preempted by the USDA.  Citizens across the country have sought local and state regulations to address critical concerns, including the use of genetically engineered foods and crops.  Section 123 is a back-door means of wiping out state and local food safety laws. This provision has no place in the Farm Bill. 

 

Please strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill, keep NAIS out of the Farm Bill, and protect local control of our food supply.

 

Sincerely,

Name
Address
City, State Zip
Email ( if you have it)

 

Cc:  Congressman Goodlatte
       Senator Harkin
       Senator ___________ (your Senator)
       Congressman __________ (your Congressman)

 

 

 

 Members of House Committee on Agriculture

 

Name (State), Phone number, Fax number

 

Members are listed in order of their states (alphabetically).  Please contact any members who come from your state.  If you want to use e-mail, then go to the Congressperson's website, which you can find at http://www.house.gov/

 

Terry Everett (AL), (p) 202-225-2901, (f) 202-225-8913
Michael Rogers (AL), (p) 202-225-3261, (f) 202-226-8485
Jo Bonner (AL), (p) 202-225-4931, (f) 202-225-0562

Joe Baca (CA), (p) 202-225-6161, (f) 202-225-8671
Dennis Cardoza (CA), (p) 202-225-6131, (f) 202-225-0819
Jim Costa (CA), (p) 202-225-3341, (f) 202-225-9308
Kevin McCarthy  (CA), (202) 225-2915, (f) 202-225-2908

John T. Salazar (CO), (p) 202-225-4761, (f) 202-226-9669
Marilyn Musgrove (CO), (p) 202-225-4676, (f) 202-225-5870

Timothy Mahoney (FL), (p) 202-225-5792, (f) 202-225-3132

David Scott (GA), (p) 202-225-2939, (f) 202-225-4628
Jim Marshall (GA), (p) 202-225-6531, (f) 202-225-3013
John Barrow (GA), (p) 866-890-6236, (f) 202-225-3377

Leonard L. Boswell, (IA), (p) 202-225-3806, (f) 202-225-5608
Steve King (IA), (p) 202-225-4426, (f) 202-225-3193

Timothy Johnson (IL), 202-225-2371, (f) 202-226-0791

Brad Ellsworth (IN), (p) 866-567-0227, (f) 202-225-3284
Joe Donnelly (IN), (p) 202-225-3915, (f) 202-225-6798

Nancy Boyda (KS), (p) 202-225-6601, (f) 202-225-7986
Jerry Moran (KS), (p) 202-225-2715, (f) 202-225-5124

Charles W. Boustany, Hr. (LA), (p) 202-225-2031, (f) 202-225-5724

Tim Walberg (MI), (p) 202-225-6276, (f) 202-225-6281

Collin Peterson (MN), (p) 202-225-2165, (f) 202-225-1593
Timothy J. Walz (MN), (p) 202-225-2472, (f) 202-225-3433

Sam Graves (MO), (p) 202-225-7041, (f) 202-225-8221

Earl Pomeroy, (ND), (p) 202-225-2611, (f) 202-226-0893

Mike McIntyre (NC), (p) 202-225-2731, (f) 202-225-5773
Bob Etheridge (NC), (p) 202-225-4531, (f) 202-225-5662
Robin Hayes, (NC), (p) 202-225-3715, (f)202-225-4036
Virginia Foxx (NC), (p) 202-225-2071, (f) 202-225-2995

Jeff Fortnberry (NE), (p) 202-225-4806, (f) 202-225-5686
Adrian Smith (NE), (p) 202-225-6435, (f) 202-225-0207

Kirsten Gillibrand, (NY), (p) 202-225-5614, (f)202-225-1168
John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (NY), 202-225-3161, (f) 202-226-6599

Zachary T. Space (OH), (p) 202-225-6265, (f) 330-364-4330
Jean Schmidt (OH), (p) 202-225-3164, (f) 202-225-1992

Frank D. Lucas (OK), (p) 202-225-5565, (f) 202-225-8698

Tim Holden (PA), (p) 202-225-5546, (f) 202-226-0996

Stephanie Herseth Sandline, (SD), (p) 202-225-2801, (f) 202-225-5823

Lincoln Davis, (TN), (p) 202-225-6831, 9f) 202-226-5172

Henry Cuellar (TX), (p) 202-225-1640, (f) 202-225-1641
Mike Conaway (TX), (p) 202-225-3605, (f) 202-225-1783
Randy Neugebauer (TX), (p) 202-225-4005, (f) 202-225-9615
Nicholas Lampson (TX), (p) 202-225-5951, (f) 202-225-5241

Bob Goodlatte (VA), (p) 202-225-5431, (f) 202-225-9681

Steve Kagen (WI), (p) 202-225-5665, (f) 202-225-5729

 

 

 

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Working together, we can make our voices heard.

 


Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

(p) 512-243-9404

(toll free) 866-687-6452

 


 

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