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
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qhqcabcab.0.dtkpkacab.bz6ym9bab.1228&ts=S0254&p
=http%3A%2F%2Ffarmandranchfreedom.org%2Fcontent%2FNAIS-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
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qhqcabcab.0.rogiyacab.bz6ym9bab.1228&ts=S0254&p
=http%3A%2F%2Fagriculture.house.gov%2Finside%2FLegislation%2F110%2FLDP.p
df> .
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
5) Your Congressman and Senator: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qhqcabcab.0.n8g8c7bab.bz6ym9bab.1228&ts=S0254&p
=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.house.gov%2Fwriterep%2F> and
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qhqcabcab.0.togiyacab.bz6ym9bab.1228&ts=S0254&p
=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Fgeneral%2Fcontact_information%2Fsenators_
cfm.cfm>
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/
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qhqcabcab.0.vogiyacab.bz6ym9bab.1228&ts=S0254&p
=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.house.gov%2F>
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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http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/action-alerts
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Working together, we can make our voices heard.
Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
www.farmandranchfreedom.org
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qhqcabcab.0.s8g8c7bab.bz6ym9bab.1228&ts=S0254&p
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