ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 14, 1997 TAG: 9704140099
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
At issue is a farmer's freedom to sell his goods without undue regulation vs. protection of the public food supply.
Joel Salatin grew up in a simpler time and place, trading goods and services from his family's Augusta County farm to earn a few dollars. ``Folks were cash poor, but they ate well,'' he recalled.
Now, some small farmers such as Salatin long for the time when a farmer could sell prime products including beef, pork and raw milk directly from the farm. State and federal laws discourage such sales by requiring expensive processing equipment and intensive inspection.
The farmers persuaded the Virginia legislature this year to study which goods could safely be bartered right from the barnyard. At issue: A farmer's freedom to sell his goods without undue regulation vs. protection of the public food supply from foodborne illnesses.
State scientists cautioned it's a nostalgic notion, rife with danger of spreading disease from improperly handled meats and milk.
The danger is as real as recent headlines, regulators noted. There was the hepatitis A scare from improperly processed Mexican strawberries. The threat required thousands of public school children to get gamma globulin shots.
Foodborne illnesses show up in unexpected places. Salmonella bacteria have poisoned Americans who ate alfalfa sprouts, cantaloupes, watermelon and unpasteurized orange juice. At least four U.S. outbreaks of E. coli bacteria have been linked to raw lettuce, apple cider and undercooked hamburgers.
Salatin would like to sell beef and pork from his 550-acre farm near Swoope in the Shenandoah Valley. He said the outbreaks of foodborne illness, ``are the products of a centralized food system, transporting products thousands of miles away from giant processing plants, all around the globe.''
``The state feels responsible for every morsel of food that goes into your mouth. It's a ludicrous burden. We have become too sophisticated for our own good,'' Salatin said.
Sen. Emmett Hanger Jr., R-Augusta County, said he and other members of the study group recognize that small farmers are overwhelmed by massive corporate farms. Some processed meats may be acceptable, he said, but the sale of unpasteurized milk on the farm is more troublesome, because milk is an ideal medium for bacteria.
He said many people would prefer a locally produced product they can be sure has not been doused with chemical pesticides or handled on an assembly line.
Among the proposals the study group will consider: posting a liability release on the farm gate and limited inspection programs.
Virginia's agriculture commissioner, Carlton Courter, said he also supports efforts to open new markets for small farmers as long as the health risk is low. The state already supports local farmers' markets and small organically grown vegetable programs.
``They are small farmers just trying to carve out their niche. Those few dollars [to the farmer] do make a difference,'' Courter said. ``The study is a good approach as long as health protection is built in.''
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS. Joel Salatin would like to sell beefby CNBand pork from his 550-acre farm near Swoope in the Shenandoah
Valley.