3 Comments

1. Jean–
   Thank you for getting us this info. Several of the Guild members at Feb.s meeting also were concerned that this would allow unregulated, unlicensed, and untested dairy products into the food supply, increasing the chances of someone getting sick eating bad cheese, and that would reflect poorly on ALL cheese makers, even those who are licensed and regularly inspected and tested. We will be reaching out to State and Federal government soon with a unified message that with effective and intelligent oversight knowledgeable dairy producers are making safe dairy products to offer consumers. Allowing folks to sell dairy products without that testing and experience is counter to recent trends toward insuring food safety.

2. i’m sure anyone that does farmers markets has a story like this one from last summer: a woman runs up to my table and asks me what i “put into the rinds.” she had given her dog some cheese rind and he had gotten sick. “it may have been from the mulch pile he had gottn into but more ‘n likely it was from what i had “put into the rind.”
   story number 2. i want to organize a food drive this summer at market for a local food bank. the individual that runs the food bank asked me if the food from the market would make people sick. it would be great if we didn’t need regulations. unfortunately the regs are mostly there to protect US from the public.

3. I’m sure my view is about as popular as clothes on a pig, but I’m absolutely in favor of LD330. I am delighted that Maine’s legislators recognize that not all producers are commercial producers, and that Maine citizens are capable of making informed decisions about the foods they put into their own bodies.
   Licensing, IMO, is a bad idea to begin with. Government regulations have taken over our lives; it seems that there’s absolutely nothing that we are allowed to decide for ourselves. The truth is, that regulations are simply a way of imposing someone else’s will upon the general public. In some cases, this may be necessary, but when it comes to what I do with my own body, and the foods that I put into it, that is and should be my choice.

   Licensing requirements—and indeed, many, many regulations—have the effect of stifling small producers and entrepreneurs. While the license itself may cost only $25 per year, the facility costs serve to keep those who cannot afford a $5000 to $10,000 investment (assuming one already has a separate area to convert) out of the market entirely. It is in the best interest of anyone producing farm products to use the cleanest, purest environment to produce the safest and highest quality products. The law is quite clear—if you harm someone, you are liable for that harm. Somewhere along the line, we have forgotten that government is supposed to protect our rights, not our bodies, and not to run our lives. That is the foundation of our constitutions, both federal and state. In addition, LD330 is quite clear that it is for those selling direct to the informed end user, and not to third parties through a middleman. For that reason, to say that commercial producers will use it to lower their standards is disingenuous.

   If individuals need education, then educate them. In other words, educate, don’t regulate, and don’t ask someone else to pay for your testing, your protection, and your business; rather, take personal responsibility for whatever you need. Nanny government is not your friend; it is your bitter enemy. George Washington said it best: Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master.

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