Small farms gain exemption in food safety bill, headed for final passage after Senate vote

UPDATE, Dec. 1: "The measure is now stuck in a constitutional quagmire as the House challenges certain fees included in the legislation as revenue-raisers, which must originate in the lower chamber," Megan McCarthy of National Journal reports. Sen. Tom Harkin tells Politico that Plan B is to have the House pass its own version of the bill and send it back to the Senate. "The snafu is a major setback for the Senate," Scott Wong writes, but Harkin says, "Nothing is going to kill this bill."
This morning the Senate approved an overhaul to the nation's food-safety system that would increase Food and Drug Administration inspections and other government oversight of farms and processors. An amendment by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana exempted small farms but drew the ire of the Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association, which withdrew their support of the bill because of the amendment, Lindsey Layton of The Washington Post reports. House of Representatives leaders have indicated they will accept the Senate version of the bill to ensure enactment by the current Congress.

The bill, which was a rare example of bipartisan support, drew complaints from some Tea Party activists, who said it was an example of government overreach. "The bill places greater responsibility on manufacturers and farmers to prevent contamination -- a departure from the current system, which relies on government inspectors to catch contamination after the fact," Layton writes. "The measure also gives the FDA authority to recall food; now, it must rely on food companies to voluntarily pull products off the shelves. And it gives the FDA access to internal records at farms and food production facilities." (Read more)

"All Senate Democrats supported passage of the bill," Lynda Waddington of the Iowa Independent reports. "They were joined by Independents Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont as well as 14 Republicans, including Iowa’s Chuck Grassley." The bill's lead sponsor was Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Waddington's story includes a summary of the bill, provided by Harkin's office.