Area farmers oppose the proposed new food safety regulations and say they are unnecessary for small farms. Watch video
HADLEY – Farmers from all across the region expressed concerns about the proposed federal food safety regulations, saying they are unnecessary for small farmers and could put them out of business if adopted.
About 150 from all over the state and Connecticut attended the Food and Drug Administration listening session in a storage and packing barn at Plainville Farm.
The FDA has held similar meetings in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Two of the proposals were the focus of the session - produce safety and preventive control. The intention is to reduce the incidents of foodborne illnesses by looking at standards for growing, harvesting, packing, holding and processing produce on farms.
Three from the FDA, including Michael Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, took comments and answered questions. U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, who represents the region, also listened to comments. Congress is responsible for enacting the laws.
The New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association and the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation also hosted the event.
Farmers here said they are not the problem.
“Small Farms are not part of the problem,” said Gary Gemme, co-owner of Harvest Farm in Whatley. He suggested that the FDA focus on the large farms both foreign and domestic first. They could implement the law in stages. “This would give us some breathing room to get our ducks in a row.”
According to the Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture website, the FDA estimates the rules will cost “almost $13,000 per year for farms with sales of $250,001 to $500,000, and $30,566 per year for farms with sales over $500,000. This is already more than many growers in the Pioneer Valley can afford, and the analysis did not consider some types of costs that farms will incur, so the overall cost to comply with the new rules will likely be greater.”
Herb Marsh said Bars Farm in Deerfield has been in operation since 1820. “There hasn’t been a problem.” He asked, “What’s the basis of the regulations. How many people in this room have poisoned somebody.” He suggested that the FDA “take action based on science not screwball ideas.”
Jay Healy, a farmer and state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, said if the were was a problem with food safety with local farmers “our customers are going to put us out of business. I hate to see regulations undermine the good things we do here in Massachusetts.”
Taylor agreed that the regulation doesn’t take into account the size of an operation and they do “need to make standards adaptable.”
But he said the Centers for Disease Control is concerned about foodborne illnesses and wants Congress to address the problem.
He said there are 3,000 deaths a year, another 125,000 hospitalized and another 48 million get sick. And he said many cases aren’t reported.
McGovern said that “maybe the real problems are with the big farms,” but he said they do need to look at the problem and “put some meat on the bones” of the laws.
“It shouldn’t be a jobs killer,” and he said the regulations shouldn’t put farmers out of business. “We’ve got to find the balance because this is an issue of concern.”
The public can still comment online or in writing by Nov. 15. To comment, visit the Federal Register page, or go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for FDA-2011-N-0921.