1. Amendment #115 by Kaptur to prevent large companies from retaliating against livestock and poultry producers who speak out about unfairness in the marketplace. Farmers should not have to be afraid to tell the truth about the problems with corporate consolidation in our food system.
2. Amendment #136 by Lowey to address contamination by genetically engineered crops. The recent contamination of a wheat field in Oregon - and the resulting loss of consumer confidence both in the U.S. and internationally - has yet again shown that the existing provisions for testing unauthorized GMO crops are not sufficient to protect farmers and consumers.
3. Amendment #176 by Pingree. In addition to providing for various grant programs, this amendment directs USDA to establish a "local and regional farm and food system enterprise facilitation initiative to increase training and technical assistance" to help people working to establish local food businesses. The amendment also provides for critically needed technical assistance for small-scale meat processors, who are a vital piece of restoring our local food systems.
4. Amendment #214 by Benishek to protect farmers from unnecessarily burdensome regulations. The FDA has proposed extensive, complicated regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act that basically assume the worst of every situation and then force the farmers to find science on their own to prove that their farming methods are safe. Many traditional and sustainable methods of cultivation will be "guilty" until proven innocent.
The Benishek amendment would require FDA to do a scientific and economic analysis of the regulations before they go into effect, focusing on the impact on agricultural businesses of all sizes. This amendment is important to ensure that FDA doesn't drive farmers, particularly small-scale and sustainable farmers, out of business with unfounded and unnecessary regulations.
