The pasteurization mandate

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend,

 

 

The pasteurization mandate is now in place, but we are still aggressively pushing our case for suspension of the rule. I wanted to provide this brief update on where we stand.

 

 

 

We have had zero response from the USDA and our request of Secretary Johanns to suspend the implementation of the rule. He received the joint sign-on letter on August 28 – signed by more than 140 stakeholders representing commercial, farmer, manufacturer, public and farm policy interests. We are continuing to ramp-up pressure on the Secretary's office.

 

 

 

We have shared the same sign-on letter with key members of Congress. Many of the farm and public interest groups who are working on this issue have sent out almond action alerts to their members urging them to contact their representatives. We are hearing that letters and emails are coming into Congressional offices.

 

 

 

A "Dear Colleague" letter on the almond issue is being circulated around the halls of Congress. This type of letter is jointly signed by elected officials, and this particular letter will go to Secretary Johanns carrying the weight and pressure of Congressional members. The letter has gotten verbal support from many members of Congress and will hopefully be delivered to Johanns in the near future.

 

 

 

Look in your mail for a letter containing a proxy letter that we need your signature on—please return them to us at your earliest opportunity. We will hand deliver these – in bulk – to Johanns and members of Congress. The proxy letter is a tool we have effectively used in the past; it requires personal attention from staff at Congressional offices to respond to (rather than the usual automated response) and will raise the profile of this issue.

 

 

 

We have been doing additional investigation of the toxic properties of PPO, from the residues left on the nuts. The initial scientific analysis is quite unsettling for the long-term health of regular almond consumers. We are double-checking the analysis, but it appears that PPO may be more of a health risk than the harm caused by Salmonella outbreaks. Stay tuned for further updates.

 

 

 

A short video aimed at consumers is under development that will be another way to alert consumers to the almond treatment plan. It will be distributed via the popular website, You Tube . It will be interesting to see what impact this has on mobilizing more public support for suspension of the rule.

 

 

 

Legal remedies are the remaining option. Our lawyer has indicated that the filing of a court action may cost between $10,000 and $50,000. We wanted to explore and exhaust all other low-cost alternatives before going to court. If there is sufficient support for a court case, we will likely move forward with that in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

Our lawyer has also helped establish the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The Fund can provide legal and other services to small farmers who wish to market their products directly to the consumer free from unwarranted governmental interference and unfair rules and regulations. For those farmers who want more information on this, please let us know and we will share the contact information. We are also developing a list of farmers who are interested in direct sales of unpasteurized nuts, and if you are one or know of one, please let send us contact information. However, you should know that some growers have already been threatened with $1100/day fines for selling nuts on the Internet.

 

Yes, the almond harvest is in full swing. But we can still prevail on this issue by working together, making our voices heard and strongly pursuing our options. Please stay in touch.

 

- Will Fantle

The Cornucopia Institute

(715) 839-7731

-- Eli PenberthyFood and Farms Policy AnalystThe Cornucopia Institutewww.cornucopia.org See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.