Comments on: The Sticky Issue of Food Sovereignty : An Old Locavore Speaks Up

By: Atrebla

Atrebla — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:22:52 +0000

It is important to remember that food sovereignty is much more complex than this. And messy. And not US American in its origins.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:17:32 +0000

Thanks for bringing some more attention to food sovereignty in the US, Barbara. I would like to clarify a few things about the Vermont effort. Our group, the VT Coalition for Food Sovereignty, took shape in November 2010 in response to the Federal Food Safety and Modernization Act. It wasn’t (and is not) that we don’t want safe food, but we also want fresh, local, healthy food and there is sometimes a world of difference. We included the references to corporate practices in our Resolution understanding full well the revolving door scenario between major corporate agribusiness and positions of influence within the federal government. The FSMA fundamentally changed the role and jurisdiction of the FDA, gave increased power to the Agency of Health and Human Services to use the state Ag departments as enforcement agents for federal rules and interpretations of federal and even state rules. If you’re interested there are a number of audio links on our website to interviews specific to the concerns many of us have about the impacts of this type of one-size-fits-all policy.

Our response to the VT Agency of Agriculture over its interpretation of the VT raw milk law (Act 62) was Butter Appreciation Day, an event at which we defied the Agency and made butter from cream (some raw some not) in the State House. This is how we put the Resolution into action at the People-level. We identified an infringement to food sovereignty, resisted it and made our point. The good news is we succeeded and the law was fixed.

When we wrote and signed our Resolution we agreed to resist infringements on our ability to save seed, grow, process, consume and exchange food and farm products. We’re not saying to the Feds, “Hey, get the hell out of our town.” What we are saying is we have these rights and we are absolutely committed to protecting them for future generations. When the govt’s desire for “safety” Makes it burdensome for farmers to produce and people to access fresh, local, healthy food then we have a situation that needs attention.

By: Scotia48

Scotia48 — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:55:52 +0000

One thing I would think about on the locavore front is interacting with the local farmers, artisans and ranchers in everyday life. If you are all in the same community, everyone would want to do the best to make the best product, right? I go to my farmers market every weekend and, if I didn’t get a good product, they would hear about it. I think that is how it is supposed to work, no? Good people just like my uncle who did the same thing.
Here in Western Washington we have mobile slaughterhouses that go around to small farms, organic farms, for jewish and muslim religious needs. There are also a couple of a little larger meat markets that have slaughterhouses on site. It’s all grass fed, pasture raised organic product. So, I guess Washington is a state that has thumbed it nose at the FDA. Dairy, chickens, goat milk/cheese all are also local and wonderful and I love being here and experiencing this lovely food.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:24:35 +0000

If the farmer is using the meat for his own purposes, he can butcher at his farm.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:23:44 +0000

Hadar–good question, and it is one of my thoughts, as well, which is why I don’t believe any of these local laws will stand up in court if they contradict state or especially federal law.

Radishes–you are correct. If the farmer wishes to sell his beef, lamb, goat or pork, in most states, it must be slaughtered and butchered in a USDA inspected facility. Some states allow farm-butchering of chickens and other poultry, others do not.

IF the farmer is lucky enough to be near a small, local slaughterhouse facility–which we are lucky enough to have at least one such facility here in Athens county and several in SE Ohio that I know of–the slaughterhouse can be made NOT to mix “batches” of animals it slaughters. In a larger slaughterhouse, that is not always the case.

I have been in the Athens county local slaughterhouse. It is CLEAN and is a facility that I would not mind working in. It has no smell, and they do not use inhumane methods to kill their animals that I saw.

I’ve seen films of the big slaughterhouses–I can only imagine the smell.