New Age Farming 2

 Yesterday we heard all the enthusiasm about local communities learning about small farmers bringing their produce to local markets and selling direct to consumers. Great concept, everyone’s happy…but hold on. Small-scale organic farmers throughout the country who sell directly to consumers at farmers markets and other outlets worry that a proposed federal bill could put them out of business.?They say if the Food Safety Modernization Act becomes law, growers would be overburdened by complex rules, licensing, inspections and potentially devastating fines and punishment. Here’s Janie Burns of Meadowlark Farms. “The intent of the legislation is to address food safety and of course we all know that food safety is in the news almost constantly…what not to eat or a food warning or a recall or something like that. My concern is that the cause of the problem which is large scale, industrial agriculture is the problem that’s not being addressed and the burden of the solution is being applied against producers of all scales, many of whom are extraordinarily safe and not connected in any way with the industry that caused the problem. I feel that we are trying to address a problem with the bluntest instrument possible. Like using a hammer on a mosquito and in the process we’re damaging the industry that we really need to cultivate.”