Connecticut Department of Health Descends on Prosperous Market with Ill Intent

[Guest guest]

Connecticut Department of Health Descends on Prosperous Market with Ill Intent

 

 

by Guest Contributor, Robert Burns, Aiki Farms

http://hartkeisonline.com/2009/07/03/spies-in-the-farmers-market/

 

 

The drums were sounding after seven glorious years of happy profitable farmers

markets, a retired Army General who has the title of Commissioner of the

Department of Health in Connecticut (DPH) sent some of his soldiers into the

fray of Connecticut Farmers Markets.

 

Local farmers markets had been operating for over 200 years in the State of

Connecticut. During this time there was never a report of one single case of

food disorder with the exception of two false alarms AFTER the appearance of the

State health officials.

 

Farmers markets are unique. While there is a lot of rhetoric about

" privatizing, " the bureaucrats eventually wanted more control. The farmers

market, is by nature a private enterprise, led by a market master, with a bevy

of farmers with their displays, all holding itself together with little or no

need for outside forces to control this rich self-sustained dynamic. Initially,

the Connecticut Department of Agriculture assigned one person, Richard Macsugas,

to oversee this well organized privatized nutritional industry, and document as

well as promote the Farmers Market. Richard had an uplifting positive spirit

and even was a pioneer in bring the government's WIC program into the market, to

enable the poor access to farm fresh foods. This soon influenced farm markets

nationwide, enabling those less fortunate to buy real food instead of junk food

with their government aid.

 

Because the farmers markets were growing, both in attendance, and in numbers,

the General and the DPH decided to " involve themselves " after 200 years of

healthy functioning tradition. They sent out staff members who were allegedly,

" just on vacation and happened to visit farmers markets " . The pattern was to

cite alleged violations (I use the term alleged as NONE of their findings had,

nor has ever caused illness, nor did VIOLATE EXPLICIT CODE). We do not know how

many " vacationers " were sent out from the DPH, but we do know of four similar

cases, wherein the State inspectors notified the local inspectors about the

violations. Most local inspectors observed, talked to farmers about health and

safety, and left the farmers market to it's own. Ironically, there were only two

actual cases of disruption and one was at my market, and without this

disruption, neither my involvement in this farm food movement, nor this article

on this blog would have transpired.

 

The local inspector in Stonington, after bring briefed by the " vacationing "

State health official, took her briefing so literally she shut the market down

for the following alleged " violations " : 1) The market master brought coffee from

a local restaurant in thermos bottles, and served hot coffee to raise money for

the market; 2) I was cited for serving wheat-grass juice at my stall (although

I was cleared by Consumer Protection) 3) Local youths and their lemonade stand,

who were actually paying their college tuition with their highly successful and

brilliant idea to serve lemonade, a stand which had been operating for over

three years. 4) Each and every farmer who offered samples of product.

 

Thus, in one fell swoop our prosperous farm market was closed by orders of an

official appointed by the Governor.

 

Over 2,000 ANGRY consumers signed a petition that was immediately circulated

statewide. As a direct result, the market was reopened.

 

The petition read: WE THE UNDERSIGNED DEPLORE THE PRESENCE OF STATE AND LOCAL

HEALTH OFFICIALS WHO WILLFULLY AND WITH INTENT INTERFERE WITH THE FLOW OF

AGRICULTURAL COMMERCE……………..

 

Armed with this community support, we began our battle against the forces who

are trying desperately to win both money, via grants,and approval of huge

corporate chemical-agribusiness outfits like Monsanto, DUPONT, NORVARTIS,

Cargill, and so on, and whose lobbyists, and their state and federal allies,

clamor for approval by attacking small farms, farmers, and farmers markets.

 

However, with respects to Barbara Walters, Mr. Polan, Mrs. Obama, and the

citizen ranks now swelling with the support of small farmers,the need for good

fresh healthy produce, we need to REALLY sharpen our teeth and with the

fierceness, and love of self, and our children need to fight harder than ever to

thwart this greedy set of " CARING HEALTH OFFICIALS, " who explicitly, instead of

doing their job, feel it is " easier " to destroy a small farm than to take on the

real bad guys.

 

Is the peanut CEO who, with knowledge, gave the OK to process tainted peanuts

being prosecuted quickly? Of course not, let's wipe out a few more small

farmers, like the Stower family's Manna Storehouse Food Cooperative, in Lorain

County, Ohio. Let's attack them with the police, hold them at gun point, while

huge food producers go unscathed. After all, they are nothing but small farmers.

 

To this I say, we farmers are the most sacred of the human race. We are loved by

the best, and hated by the worst. We stand between heaven and earth, have been

given the sacred skills to feed our brothers and sisters. We do our work with

love and compassion, and give thanks for the role that God has bestowed upon us.

 

Therefore it is both our duty and our obligation to defend this sacred right, as

we defend our own families, our crops, and all that surrounds our farms. Farmers

are to reach out, into our churches, our communities, and if need be, launch

into the sea of the political realm to carry on this fight.

 

We must gain the allegiance of the entire human race, all those who eat our

food, and share in this wonderful gift of life we have together on this earth.

We need to realize clearly, that some who are alive because we feed them have a

contempt and hatred for us,and who we are. They have neither understanding nor

compassion for either the gift of life, nor the role of the farmer.

 

It is these ones we must identify, objectively, and expose to mankind as the

enemies of the human race, and if not defeated, will, as they do now, seek to

destroy us all by a pure and clear absence of COMMON SENSE.

 

 

 

Robert Burns and Ed Begley, Jr.

A Special Invitation to Hartke is Online! Readers:

 

Robert cordially invites you to attend a Victory Garden Seminar and Local Chef's

Feast at his Connecticut Farm on July 12, 2009. Ed Begley, Jr. will be the

celebrity guest for the event. Tickets are $40.00. Please contact Kimberly at

kim.hartke at gmail.com for a pdf invite to the event.

 

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays on the Food Renegade blog.

 

Note from Kimberly: Robert has a copy of the petition that proved useful in

getting the farmers market re-opened. If any one needs a copy please contact him

through his Aiki Farms website. NEXT Friday, another post from Robert on, " What

Citizen Activists Can Do. "

 

 

Related posts:

 

Mount Vernon Farm presents A Farmers Market that Comes to You

Farmer Advocates Rebuilding our US Economy Starting with the Rural Farming

Communities

Ecology Action Spreads the Work of Catholic Saint

10 Billion is a Big Market–What Piece of that do Small Farms Want?