Legislation Tracker
Follows State Food Bills
The last half-century has brought a vast consolidation of
food production, distribution, and retailing. The immense changes have not come
without a cost to our environment, health, and culture. We are discovering that
our water, air, and soils are suffering from an onslaught of chemical inputs to
our farming systems. Daily we read about our food being contaminated with
bacteria, chemicals, and other producers of pollution and illness. In addition,
many United States
farmers are being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy as production and processing
dollars move oversees. Many of our foods have traveled the world before
reaching our pantry, the origins often untraceable.
Farmers throughout the United States watch as
farming dollars leave their communities, not to return.
Some state legislators are exercising their votes to
support rural farming communities by introducing local food bills that better
support local economies and their farmers. Meanwhile, others are launching
legislation aimed at bolstering corporate globalization by stripping local
oversight and control in favor of a more centralized regulatory approach.
Environmental
Commons is tracking state legislation that influences local sustainable farming
systems and community decision-making. We are keeping close tabs on bills on
both sides of the debate-those intended to favor big business by removing local
decision-making of farming systems and those promoting local food security,
sustainability, and rural economics.
The
bills being tracked include:
1.
Preemption: Bills intended to remove local community decision-making over food
and farming systems.
2.
Local Food: Bills supporting sustainable farming systems, farmers, local
economies, and the regional distribution of foods.
3.
GMOs: Bills addressing the risks of genetically modified food crops and the
inadequacy of federal regulations.
Take
a look at what is taking place at the legislative level in your state this year
and get involved:
http://environmentalcommons.org/ag-tracker.html