Food safety restrictions hindering farming, says free range advocate

JuliaL
Current Event Posting #2
Topic: Public Health
Title: Food safety restrictions hindering farming, says free range advocate
Writer: ABC Rural News
Publisher: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Date: 11/26/2010
Length: 256 words

Free range farmer Joel Salatin claims that the food safety red tape destroys local food production. Tony Coote also agrees with Salatin and produces free range foods on his farm as well. The industrial foods systems that are expanding in agriculture cause filth and unnatural production with meat. It causes harmful things like campylobacter, listeria, e-coli, salmonella, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and avian influenza, to affect and slow down food production and sells. These pathogens were never even heard of 30 years ago to farmers. Industries and businesses use these unnatural ways of production because it is faster and supposedly more effective in sells. However, due to the anti-natural production models of the industrial systems, such pathogens are common and reduce the quality of foods. The only option is to wait for regulations to catch up and realize that farming is about producing and selling locally. But because of large industries, this is no longer a promising way of farming. Joel Salatin is on a speaking tour in Australia to let people know that industrial-scale agriculture is deleterious. It harms public health and farmers' businesses as well. He owns free range Polyface Farms in Virginia, but cannot slaughter on farm and sell locally because of the industrial systems. Tony Coote, who models his farms on Joel Salatin's, owns free range Mulloon Creek farm in Shenandoah Valley.

In conclusion, large industries have ruined agricultural production and minimizes quality of foods. The industrial systems have created unnatural and filthy pathogens that are now common in production of foods, while 30 years ago farmers were able to sell natural high-quality products. Joel Salatin is beginning to spread awareness of the downsides of industrial agriculture.