To the editor:
There is a Big Lie Movement afoot in Maine to end all state food safety regulations for locally produced foods. Meat, poultry, and dairy products, including, raw milk, and home baked goods, are up for grabs as “uninspected and untested” in various legislative food bills, LD 475, 1282, and 1287, to name just a few, and are now up before the state legislature. If passed, these bills will prove the downfall of the local foods’ movement here in Maine. They will result in food borne illnesses, deaths, FDA intervention, loss of liability insurances, and current state licensed Maine food producers, like us — well over 1,000 businesses and farms — losing their livelihoods and farm viability.
No one wants unsafe food and no one should buy it. You should insist on wholesome safe foods from local producers, particularly, vendors at farmers’ markets, and ask to see their state licenses, which should be properly displayed per state requirements governing farmers’ markets.
Sadly, no longer is any state agency or legislator effectively looking out for your food safety requirements. They are bogged down in the Big Lie Quagmire, bullying and being bullied.
The Maine Department of Agriculture lacks the spine and concern to back its own regulations, and now is waffling by “accommodating” these deregulating food bills through ineffectual amendments. In classic bureaucratic fashion the Department wants out of any conflict or controversy and has left us scientific, law-abiding, state-licensed food producers in the trenches and the food consumer at great risk.
In addition, the public is being misinformed and manipulated by emotionally-charged, confused and dishonest individuals who want us to believe they will starve if Maine’s food regulations are kept in place. Far from it.
These bills have been pushed through by individuals preying upon public sentiment and ignorance.
Any responsible conscionable person wants food safety regulations kept in place. In any way to endanger another human life, particularly, en masse, is heinous. Inspection, testing and oversight, which have been reasonable here in Maine are clearly needed and have worked well for decades for those of us who are responsible, honest and intelligent individuals.
Of great concern to all, is the majority of the Ag Committee under the Big Lie spell. These are most of the Democrats sitting on the Committee. True to human nature, this segment of the Ag Committee has succumbed to brain washing, the Big Lie’s modus operandi. These particular members of the Ag Committee allowing these bills to move forward into the state legislature clearly have no concern for your food safety. Do they have a conscience?
Your safe consumption of local foods that have had modest oversight for things like the presence of fecal material, penicillin, or salmonella is of no concern to these individuals. You don’t matter. The people don’t matter. You can die from untested food products which have toxin producing bacteria that are not detected due to lack of testing, testing that has been in place for decades and has been effective here in Maine. This is serious stuff. Is lack of concern for your well-being a democratic mind set or a tyrant’s mindset?
Our most basic individual right in a democracy is inherent, the preservation of our lives. It should be treated with the greatest of concern and respect and you should demand this from state officials governing your public health.
You need to immediately contact your state legislator and demand that none of these bills pass as the state’s current food safety regulations have and adequately continue to protect public health.
Brian Call and Joan Gibson
Levant
