Latta Signs Letter Asking For Full Committee On Agriculture Hearings For H.R. 2749

Statement

Yesterday I joined Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK), Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture, and other House Republicans to voice my opposition to H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. In short, this bill would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unprecedented authority and oversight to further regulate our nation's agriculture and livestock industry. In addition to the policies within this bill, the House Democrat Majority is attempting to sidestep the legislative process and rush this bill to the House floor for a vote.
I will continue to voice my opposition to this bill and call for full Agriculture Committee hearings.
Dear Colleague,

I am writing to express my opposition to legislation (H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009) scheduled to be considered under suspension of the rules this week.

Our nation has the safest food supply in the world. Even so, we must continually examine our food production and regulatory system, and move forward with changes that improve food safety. But to do so without thoughtful and careful deliberation is simply irresponsible. H.R. 2749 is the result of a flawed and incomplete process. It will lead to huge regulatory burdens on our nation's farmers and ranchers, and it contains very little that will actually contribute to the goal of safer food.

H.R. 2749 is another expansion of federal power without the benefit of careful consideration. This is the stimulus package, cap and trade, and - soon - the health care bill all over again. This legislation was rolled out in draft form and marked up in the Energy and Commerce Committee over a couple of weeks just last month.

And, despite a clear jurisdictional claim, the Majority of the House Agriculture Committee did not demand a referral of the bill, did not conduct hearings on its provisions, and did not allow the Committee to work its will to make improvements. During a recent Committee hearing on the general topic of food safety, not a single producer witness would support this bill in its current form. The failure to act is a stunning failure on the part of our Majority to fulfill our legislative responsibility.

One provision of particular concern would mandate the Food and Drug Administration to set on-farm production performance standards. For the first time, we would have the federal government prescribing how our farmers and ranchers will grow crops.

Farming, the growing of crops and raising of livestock, is the first organized activity pursued by man. We have been doing it for a long time. And we have been doing it without the FDA.

Farming and ranching is an immensely complex endeavor involving a vast range of processes. Imagine every food you can. Now consider the varied growing regions - California, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Hawaii, Kansas and my home state of Oklahoma. Now consider the various ways farmers produce crops: some raising commodities, others growing to detailed contract specifications, some are organic farmers, others are producers committed to sustainable practices, and some are very small farming operations producing food for increasingly lucrative local markets.

Now, imagine that the federal government is going to dictate how all of that is done. I think you have a pretty good idea of the chaos that is going to ensue.

There are other problems in the bill as well - new penalties, recordkeeping requirements, traceability, federal license to operate, licensing fees, country-of-origin labeling - all of these things do absolutely nothing to prevent food borne disease outbreaks, but will do plenty to keep federal bureaucrats busy. These are issues that can be worked out through the normal legislative process, but only if there is a process.

H.R. 2749 should not be considered under suspension of the rules. It should be referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, we should have hearings to consider its provisions, and we should make the appropriate improvements. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to not suspend the rules and to vote against H.R. 2749.

Our nation's farmers, ranchers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers deserve better.

Sincerely,

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