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NFU Cites Issues On Two Pending Rules for Food Safety Modernization Act

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from the National Farmers Union

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson submitted comments today regarding concerns with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FDA also announced today that it has extended the comment period to Nov. 22.

“NFU supported passage of FSMA, the first major overhaul of food safety legislation in more than 70 years, and we appreciate that FSMA moves the food safety system from reaction to prevention,” said Johnson. “It is now a matter of establishing regulations to effectively achieve these goals without overreacting to recent outbreaks of foodborne illness in such a way that jeopardizes the livelihoods of family farmers.”

Two of the pending rules for FSMA, the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (Produce Rule) and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls For Human Food (Preventive Controls Rule), have attracted the most attention from NFU’s family farmer members.

“NFU raises concerns about the definition of farms in the rule, as well as the basis for testing requirements and quality standards for agricultural water,” said Johnson. “The comments also urge FDA to reduce the interval that prohibits the application of biological soil amendments before harvesting produce and asks for clarity in how alternative compliance proposals will be considered.”

Furthermore, NFU seeks a second comment period on the rules so that farmers and growers may provide additional feedback to smooth the implementation process for FSMA.

“Great care must be taken when finalizing regulations of this scale, and because of the importance of FSMA to the future of U.S. agriculture, a set of revised rules should be published and made available for comments from stakeholders,” said Johnson. “FSMA is a well-intentioned and important evolution of our food safety system, we ask that the aforementioned comments be considered before proceeding further in the rulemaking process, in the hopes that improvements to consumer confidence in the food supply not come at the expense of family farm agriculture.”

Click here to read the comments.

 

What the EPA Says About Proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard

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What follows will be the full press release from U.S. EPA on the proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard. The 2014 proposal essentially calls for a reduction in the renewable fuel requirement. Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union said last week, “Lowering renewable fuel targets below that which can be produced and below what is already being produced will sink corn prices, kill jobs and damage rural economies.” Read his entire statement here.

First, here are a couple of documents from EPA’s website on renewable fuels regulations:

EPA Press Release:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed for public comment the levels of renewable fuels to be blended into gasoline and diesel as required by Congress under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Developed with input from the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture, the proposal seeks public input on annual volume requirements for renewable fuels in all motor vehicle gasoline and diesel produced or imported by the United States in 2014. The proposal seeks to put the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program on a steady path forward – ensuring the continued long-term growth of the renewable fuel industry – while seeking input on different approaches to address the “E10 blend wall.”

[Read more…]

Farmers Union Statement on 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard

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from the National Farmers Union

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements:

“We are deeply disappointed in EPA’s apparent willingness to reduce total renewable fuel requirements based on the oil industry’s fictitious ‘blend wall’ argument. Big oil has determined that biofuels are taking their market share, so they have prevented increased amounts of biofuel to be sold at gas stations.

“At a time when advanced and cellulosic biofuel plants are just starting to come online, the EPA is sending a negative signal which will stifle investment in this nascent industry.

“Lowering renewable fuel targets below that which can be produced and below what is already being produced will sink corn prices, kill jobs and damage rural economies.

“The administration needs to stay true to its word that it will tackle climate change. The RFS is America’s only real climate change policy, and biofuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 30 percent compared to regular gasoline.

“We look forward to commenting on the proposed targets and EPA’s flawed methodology so that we can continue to support the biofuels industry.”

 

 

NFU Publishes Renewable Energy Curriculum

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The National Farmers Union has released a fantastic resource that can be used by high school or college instructors or anyone trying to educate high school-age students through adults on some of the basics of renewable energy policy in the U.S. – and its relevance to agriculture.

If you are involved with your local Ohio Farmers Union county chapter, consider using the adult materials to lead a discussion at your next meeting. If you are involved with a youth group in your area, you’ll find some outstanding materials to use with kids grades 9-12.

“Renewable energy is fast becoming a way of life for millions of Americans,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Technological advances are delivering sustainable, reliable, and increasingly affordable sources of renewable energy. At the same time, Americans are curious about the economic and environmental costs of relying on fossil fuels.”

Lessons are available for use with students in high school grades 9-12, as well as separate lessons for both college and adult students. Each module contains three unique areas of focus, for a total of nine different lesson plans. The sessions are tailored to appeal to the specific audiences and use a variety of educational activities to engage students in the learning process. The lessons come with separate guides and resource sheets to assist teachers in understanding and implementing the curriculum.

You can find all of the information at nfu.org or use the page on the OFU site: Renewable Energy Curriculum.

 

Consumer Orgs to Congress: Hands Off COOL in Farm Bill

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consumergroups640U.S. national consumer rights and protection groups have sent a letter to Farm Bill conference committee members in Congress urging them to defend Country of Origin Labeling rules and to beat back attempts by big business to change COOL.

“We appreciate the support of our allied organizations named in the letter,” said National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson. “Consumers have called for the information provided by COOL for some time and it is our responsibility as an industry to meet those demands.”

The Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Food and Water Watch, National Consumers League, and Public Citizen signed the letter. The letter cites survey results released in May 2013 by the Consumer Federation of America that showed that 90 percent of Americans believe they have the right to know the country of origin of the fresh meat they purchase. A 2008 poll from Consumers Union found that that 95 percent of U.S. adults agreed that Country-of-Origin Labeling for products should always be available at the point of purchase.

Click this link to read the letter.

 

AP Ethanol Stories Draw Fire from NFU, Other Ag Orgs

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The Associated Press has come out with a few stories and data for infographics that you may have seen in your local newspaper or online in the past few days. The stories questions whether or not ethanol production in the U.S. and its effects on agricultural production of corn are having negative consequences in other environmental areas.

What follows is the official reaction from the National Farmers Union. If you’d like to see what AP produced in its reporting for yourself, check out this PDF file I’ve put together of what stories I could capture online. The Associated Press is essentially a member-based news organization – its members are the media outlets which subscribe to its stories – and in some cases your local paper or favorite online source may not have chosen to run any or all of these stories. (They may also not be a member of the AP)

PDF File of the AP Ethanol Stories November 2013

NFU Reaction:

WASHINGTON (Nov. 12, 2013) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to a recent story by the Associated Press that blames biofuels for causing environmental harm:

“The story blames biofuels for the reduced acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). What it neglects to mention is that Congress reduced CRP by roughly seven million acres in the 2008 Farm Bill and is poised to be reduced by seven to eight million acres in the next farm bill.

“In addition, climate change and new seed varieties are mostly responsible for the expansion of corn production, with warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons making it possible to plant corn in places like North Dakota and Canada.

“American-produced biofuels are a clear and environmentally-friendly alternative to oil. Today’s ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent compared to gasoline.

“NFU will continue stand up for the Renewable Fuel Standard that is cleaning up the environment, diversifying fuel sources and supporting rural economies.”

 

FRAUD ALERT: Fake Letters from USDA Hitting Some Mailboxes

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USDA has been made aware of a fraudulent letter being sent to some farmers requesting information about recipients.

According to a recent notice by USDA FSA, the letters are from a fictitious USDA employee “Frank Rutenberg.” There is no Frank Rutenberg, the letters are fraudulent and if you receive such a letter do not respond.

As always, if you receive a suspicious letter via the postal service or email or other online communication or phone call from someone claiming to be from a government agency or business and they ask you for personal or business information, contact the relevant agency or business on your own and verify the sender’s or caller’s intent. In most cases, legitimate requests for personal or other information will not be made via “cold” calls or unexpected mail or online communications.

COOL Mythbusting

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from the National Farmers Union

There’s a lot of misinformation about COOL being spread by our packer- and processor-opponents. Below are the facts about COOL that you can use as talking points when talking with members of Congress, your friends and neighbors, or the media:

  • The United States has never conceded to the WTO before being directed to do so by a dispute panel.
  • Changing the COOL law at this time, in the middle of an appeal, would be letting Canada tell us whether or not our laws are WTO-compliant, raising a major sovereignty issue.
  • We should take a line from Canada – they fought the United States’ softwood lumber trade dispute for 24 years without giving in until WTO forced them to do so.
  • Repealing the COOL law would affect more than meat and poultry. COOL requirements apply to muscle cuts of beef, lamb, pork, goat and chicken; ground beef, ground lamb, ground pork, ground goat and ground chicken; farm-raised fish and shellfish; wild fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (like fruits and vegetables); peanuts; ginseng, pecans and macadamia nuts.
  •   [Read more…]

Conservation Payments Delayed by Shutdown Are On The Way

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From USDA:

Farmers waiting for their Conservation Security or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) payments should receive them in the coming days. The shutdown of the federal government delayed some of the $907 million in payments from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to CSP participants who have enrolled millions of acres to improve the overall conservation performance of their operations.

[Read more…]

First Public Conference Committee Hearing Meets Oct. 30

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Ohio’s Sen. Brown, Rep. Fudge on the Committee

from the National Farmers Union:

Senate and House Agriculture Committee leaders today announced that the first public meeting for the 2013 Farm Bill conference committee will be held next week on Wednesday, October 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET in room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building (the Ways and Means Committee Room). The agenda for the meeting of conferees will include opening statements and discussion of H.R. 2642, the House’s Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.

[Read more…]

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Ohio Farmers Union
P.O. Box 363
1011 N. Defiance Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875
Phone: (419) 523-5300
Toll Free: (800) 321-3671