Ideas about food safety presented to Galgiani [Stockton Record]
Proposed
federal rules governing food safety are a "one-size-fits-all"
approach, in some cases are "excessive and unnecessary" and could
pose "undue hardships" on growers while not guaranteeing against
bacterial outbreaks, a panel of industry representatives said Monday afternoon.
The speakers were addressing state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton,
chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, during an informational
hearing at City Hall…."With the diversity of California agriculture comes
a complexity that, in my opinion, people in the rest of the country cannot
comprehend," said Jamie Johansson of the California Farm Bureau
Federation. Johansson was the harshest critic of the proposed rules. He called
them a "broad overreach of executive power" and said the rules should
be simplified and reviewed by farmers.
Delta
tunnel fight to be long, costly, panelists warn [Stockton Record]
Delta
advocates rallied the faithful on Monday, warning at a special forum that
legislators and the public must be prepared for a water fight that could drag
on for years. Gov. Jerry Brown's $24.5 billion twin tunnels plan is expected to
be formally unveiled in December. The plan is widely opposed in San Joaquin
County and around the Delta because the tunnels would siphon away a portion of
the fresh water that today flows through the estuary. One emphasis at Monday's
event, held at University of the Pacific, was the need to form partnerships not
only within the Delta but elsewhere in the state, where opponents hope to
convince water users that the tunnels are unnecessary and unaffordable.
Oyster
farm draws support in court battle [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
For
ranchers grazing on 8 million acres of federally owned land in California, the
oyster company’s case raises “a question of exceptional importance,” said
lawyers for the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group that
favors “limited government” and “a balanced approach to environmental
regulation.” Jorge Mata and Isela Meza, employees at Drakes Bay Oyster Company
represented by a Legal Aid of Marin lawyer, said that closing the farm would be
“devastating” to about 30 workers and their families. The diverse arguments
come from eight “friend of the court” briefs filed in the last three weeks in
support of oyster company owner Kevin Lunny’s request for a rehearing by the
9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The briefs, totalling 150
pages, are intended to convince the appeals court to reconsider its 2-1
decision in September rejecting Lunny’s bid to continue harvesting oysters from
the 2,500-acre estero in Marin County’s Point Reyes Peninsula.
Corps
limited in authority over Yuba River dams [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains it is limited in its authority to look
at the effect of Yuba River dams on fish populations. In a statement issued
Friday, the Corps said past congressional decisions in effect make the agency's
primary focus to ensure the dams "do not collapse and harm the
public." The response was to claims by three environmental groups last
week that Corps biological assessments on Englebright and Daguerre Point dams
ignored the affects of the dams on fish….The biological assessments completed
by the Corps were in connection with a new biological opinion being done by the
National Marine Fisheries Service on Yuba River fish restoration. That follows
a judge's order staying a lawsuit by the Yuba County Water Agency challenging a
2012 opinion. The assessments will be used by National Marine Fisheries to
complete the opinion due by May.
Canada
warns US COOL rules could hit lucrative California wine exports
[Beveragedaily.com]
Canada's
minister of argiculture and agri-food warns that his country may impose
retaliatory tariffs on US wines if the country does not revise or revoke
controversial country of origin (COOL) labeling laws. Gerry Ritz was speaking
at the American Meat Association Forum in Chicago yesterday, where (not
surprisingly) he directly addressed the issue of meat, but also reportedly
referenced wine. Possible tariffs on everything from 'wine of fresh grapes,
including fortified wines, certain grape must, ethyl alcohol and other spirits
were all referenced on a possible target list released by Ottawa in June
2013….According to the Wine Institute, Canadian consumers continue to embrace
California wines, making it the fastest growing wine region in the US by volume
and value, with much of the growth coming from red blends that appeal to
younger consumers….But COOL represents a potential hurdle, with Ritz insisting
Monday: “COOL continues to hurt industries on both sides of the border, adding
unnecessary red tape, delays, and costs to our integrated North American meat
industry. US legislators have an opportunity now through the Farm Bill to end
the economic harm that COOL is having throughout North America."
UC
plants seeds of growth for local farmers [San Francisco Chronicle]
Emma
Torbert, a stone-fruit grower, didn't know what to expect when she got off a
bus to tour wholesale food businesses in the Bay Area. By the time she went
home to her farm near Davis, her head was filled with possibilities. She and 17
other growers, participating in a University of California workshop, learned
that being a small farmer is actually a boon in today's market, where consumers
are clamoring for fresh and local foods with a story. The demand is great
enough that wholesalers are doing something entirely new - passing up
large-scale commercial growers for people like Torbert, who farms only 4
acres….Torbert's tour last week was intended to help small growers like her
find new avenues to sell their products besides farmers' markets, fruit stands
and community-supported agriculture. The tour was organized by the UC Davis
Cooperative Extension, the university's Sustainable Agricultural Research and
Education Program along with the Agricultural Sustainability Institute.
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