After failing to reach the two-thirds margin needed to pass the “Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009,” the U.S. House, under suspension of the rules, approved the bill yesterday by a simple majority. NCBA, the National Pork Producers Council and the American Sheep Industry Association sent a letter to leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Agriculture Committee expressing thanks for inserting compromise language that addresses concerns about the original bill.
The bill approved by the full House clarifies livestock are exempt from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, including previously proposed on-farm inspections and additional authority currently handled by USDA. Members of the two House committees also made improvements to the traceability and recordkeeping provisions of the bill.
NCBA will continue to work with Congress as the food safety debate continues. The goal is to increase food safety without burdening producers or duplicating processes already in place.
Original language in the bill would have given FDA authority to create farm safety standards for manure use and animal control, among other items. FDA also would have been required to create a complete traceback system for all food, including meat. NCBA testified in early June that granting additional oversight to FDA would create an economic burden for livestock producers, while failing to improve food safety.
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