The Wyoming House passed its ag-gag bill, HB 126 this last week. The summary of the bill states "An ACT relating to agriculture; establishing the offense of interfering with an agricultural operation; providing immunity for reporting cruelty to livestock as specified; providing for assistance by livestock board; providing definitions; providing a penalty; and providing for an effective date. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Wallis (R) and Senator Driskill (R), passed with a 33 to 27 vote. The bill makes it a crime to "knowingly or intentionally" record images or sounds of an agricultural operation with concealed devices without the owner's consent. The bill does state that anyone who reports abuse to local police "within 48 hours" is immune from civil liability. Criminal penalties, however, … [Read more...]
Cottage Foods Now Legal In California
In the state of California, as of Tuesday, January 1, 2013, food can legally be produced in home kitchens and sold to consumers. The Homemade Food Act was passed and signed into law in September 2012. Those foods, commonly known as "cottage foods", are illegal to make and sell in many states. Only so-called "low risk" foods are allowed under the new law. They include baked goods, desserts, nuts, candies, and jams and jellies. The California Department of Public Health will oversee the new regulations and will provide food processor training, which anyone who wants to sell food from their home is required to take. All CFOS must obtain approval from local planning departments. Class A CFOs sell directly to consumers, while Class B CFOs can sell to third-party retailers, which then sell … [Read more...]
Indiana State Board of Animal Health Report on Raw Milk
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) has released a report on the sale of raw milk to consumers. It's illegal to sell raw milk in that state, but the legislature is considering making the sale from farmers to consumers legal. Consumers in that state are purchasing raw milk through cow or herd share arrangements and buying milk marked as sale for pet food only. The agency researched laws in other states, both pro and con, took into account input from 18 stakeholders, held a virtual public hearing, and surveyed licensed dairy producers. The report summary begins: "there is a significant risk that raw milk may contain pathogens. Pasteurization has worked well for many years to reduce substantially the risk of human illness from pathogens that may contaminate milk. The U.S. Food … [Read more...]
New Federal Food Safety Law for Canada
The Canadian House of Commons has approved Canada's new federal food safety law Bill S-11. The vote was unanimous. The plan was passed by the Senate in October 2012. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has detailed provisions of the plan. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said, "Canadian families will be better protected by the passage of the Safe Food for Canadians Act. The CFIA will have stronger modernized tools to better protect Canadians and enhance industry compliance. The huge XL Foods beef recall for the pathogen E. coli 0157:H7 this fall, which resulted in millions of pounds of ground beef and whole muscle beef products, may have played a part in the unanimous vote. So far, 16 people in Canada have been sickened by the outbreak strain of the bacteria. The XL plant was … [Read more...]
Prop 37: Supporters and Opponents
Proposition 37 is the ballot initiative in California that will force mandatory labels on all foods produced with genetically modified or engineered organisms. Those foods, called GE or GMO foods, have had their DNA modified in some way to add a characteristic to the food. Most Americans, according to many surveys, support labeling GMOs in food. The organization California Right to Know is behind the effort that successfully added Prop 37 to the ballot this fall. It's interesting to see who supports this initiative and who opposes it. According to a press release sent out by California Right to Know, the largest contributors to the anti-Prop 37 movement have donated $2 million so far. Donors include biotech industry conglomerates such as DuPont ($310,100) and organizations such as … [Read more...]
Congress Proposes One-Year Extension For Farm Bill
Trouble continues to plague the 2012 Farm Bill. House leaders adjourned for the second straight week without scheduling the bill for floor action which means the House will recess for August without passing the five-year $957 billion bill. Earlier this month, the House Agriculture Committee passed the bill with bipartisan support. The Senate also passed its version. But partisan bickering in the House at large over where cuts should take place and fear over the repercussions that those decisions may have during an election year have made House leadership leery to take on the bill. In the Midwest, where drought has cut a wide swath, Representatives are annoyed. Last week, all five members of Iowa’s congressional delegation signed a letter asking that the House take up the … [Read more...]
Wyoming Clarifies Proposed Raw Milk Rules
The Wyoming legislature is clarifying rules about raw milk sales. That state bans commercial sale of raw milk; in fact, the law bans farm families from drinking the raw milk produced by their own cows, although that is not enforced. The clarification reads: "producers who are the 'sole' owners of animals can serve raw milk in their home to family members, non-paying guests and employees of the farm or ranch." Animal shares are considered selling raw milk and are not legal. And rules about the sales of raw milk in the state were not changed, so selling raw milk is not legal. The proposed bill would have allowed sales of raw milk through herd sharing, as long as a prominent warning statement, information about the standards of the farm, herd health, and results of tests performed on … [Read more...]
Missouri Mulls Ag Gag Bill
Missouri is the latest state to consider passing a so-called “ag-gag” law that would criminalize the act of getting a job at an agriculture production facility expressly to gain access to make audio or visual recordings. Rep. Casey Guernsey, R-Bethany, is the sponsor of the bill which would make it: a Class B misdemeanor to use false pretenses to gain access to an agricultural production facility; a Class A misdemeanor to record images or sounds from such facilities and a Class D felony if there had been a previous violation. These kinds of bills are gaining traction in some agricultural states after footage of animal cruelty captured by “undercover” animal rights activists created several high-profile stories. Four years ago, the Humane Society captured footage of downer cattle … [Read more...]
