Important Farm Bills to Support Food Freedom

Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association-VICFA

URGENT ACTION NEEDED!

PLEASE CONTACT THE HOUSE GENERAL LAWS COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND ASK

THEM TO SUPPORT HB699!

HB 699, Patron, Eric Zehr, Direct On Farm Sales bill has been sent to the House General Laws Committee and could show up as early as this coming Tuesday the 27th.

Take Action!

Email a letter or call your delegate or senator and ask them to co-sponsor and support HB 699.

Contact the House General Laws Committee Members and ask them to vote yes to support HB699, emails work best, but calling and leaving message will work as well. Pick one or two talking points to let them know why this bill is important to you and your family.

What will this bill do?

Virginia farmers and home producers will be able to sell what they produce directly to the consumer with on farm sales, unburdened by regulations meant for third party sales. Any food that is produced on the farm or home and can be bought directly, with agreement, from the farmer or neighbor for their own personal consumption.

Talking Points-

• The new law would boost the local economy, by expanding accessibility for consumers to buy direct and keeping the money here in Virginia.

• Restore faith in our food system as Virginians gain more access to local foods directly.

• Food autonomy restores the right to choose to who produces your food without oversight.

• Protect and preserve the local food shed, much of our food is supplied by other countries and some companies are no longer owned here in the U.S. Know where your food comes from!

This bill will foster local economic growth, food security, and build resiliency within the states food system.

Please thank Delegate Eric Zehr for sponsoring our Direct on Farm Sales bill.

PLEASE OPPOSE

HB1169 Office of Small Farms

We have been working for 25 years to restore direct farm to consumer food freedom to the public unfettered by government restriction. This year our HB 699 and HB402 , if passed, will lower permitting requirements for small farms and food operators, helping more people start local food production businesses than ever before.

HB1169, is a Trojan Horse of a bill created to “help” the small farming community, by enrolling it in programs that help the government keep better track of, educate on farming protocol and enforce regulatory practices.

To get ahead of the burgeoning local food expansion, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services HB1169, seeks to create a new tax funded governing Office of small farms, within VDACS. The intent of the bill is to govern and capture small farms by interning them into “leg up” programs that come with monitoring and red tape.

The Commissioner already has the jurisdiction to go after any food operation in the regulatory body large or small. It is not necessary to create a new bureaucratic entity to data capture entrepreneurs and to police small farms. Virginian pay for it!

Call your representative and ask them to vote NO to tax paid government expansion and small farm capture.

Please JOIN US for VICFA Lobby Day Tuesday 27th of January

At the Virginia General Assembly Building, weather permitting!

We will spend the day meeting our legislators and promoting HB699 and other bills. Meet us at 8:00 am in the main lobby, call when you are there. You can make an appointment to see your Delegate and Senator by calling their office. We are scheduled to meet with Delegate Zehr at 2.30 pm.

Please contact Suzi Croes at 540-419-6571 with any questions.

The Virginia Medical Freedom Alliance supports all efforts to increase food freedom.

Sheila M. Furey, MD