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Syndicate
Other Issues
FARFA's main focus is on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NAIS poses a grave threat to independent agriculture and needs a full-time group fighting it! Yet no single issue can define the future of independent agriculture, and FARFA is working on additional issues as they arise, based on our members' input.
Preventing Imports of Poultry Processed in China
FARFA signed on to a letter by Food and Water Watch to urge Cogress to continue to prohibit funding for USDA"s program to allow the the importation of processed poultry from China. Read the full letter here.
Competition in the Livestock Industry
FARFA is supporting several reforms to current law to increase competition in the livestock industry. FARFA signed on to a coalition effort to encourage the Senate Agriculture Committee to include these reforms in the 2007 Farm Bill, many of which succeeded. You can read the letter at www.sustainableagriculture.net/CompConc2007.php Stay tuned for what happens in conference committee!
Federal Preemption of State and Local Food Laws
A provision in the draft House version of the Farm Bill that would have pre-empted state and local regulation of agriculture and food, preventing local governments from providing more protection than the USDA. FARFA alerted our members and lobbied the House Agriculture Committee to remove the provision, which it did.
Raw Milk
After many discussions, including a round table discussion at the Farm & Food Leaders’ Training Conference, FARFA has committed to help connect new raw milk farmers with existing ones to help them through the regulatory process and to educate the public about the safety and benefits of raw milk. If there is sufficient interest and support, we will form a coalition with other organizations (such as the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund) to make changes to the raw milk laws and regulations in the future.
Information for interested raw milk farmers coming soon
Other websites to check out:
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
The Trans-Texas Corridor/ NAFTA Superhighway
On March 2, 2007, FARFA cooperated with many groups and people fighting the Corridor to sponsor the "Don't Tage Texas"rally. Thousands of people marched up the streets of Austin -- some on foot, some on horseback, some in tractors or carrying chickens -- to protest the government-corproate plans that threaten rural Texas and, ultimately, all of us.
Websites for more information:
Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom
Keep Texas Moving: The government's website on TTC