A successful bipartisan effort led by Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) has resulted in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today proposing revised Food Safety Modernization Act rules to better protect small farmers in New Hampshire.

“I am pleased that the FDA has revised these rules to better reflect the reality of agriculture in New England,” said Congresswoman Kuster.  “I have worked closely with farmers across New Hampshire for more than a year to ensure that these proposed rules won’t hurt Granite State farmers and consumers, and this new proposal shows that the FDA has listened to our concerns and learned from their visit to New Hampshire last summer.  I look forward to reviewing the proposals in-depth, and I urge agricultural producers to submit comments on this important issue before the final public comment period closes in early December.”

In early 2013, the FDA issued the first two of seven proposed rules implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a 2011 law revamping food safety laws to increase the safety of our food supply.  As originally proposed, the rules threatened to place burdensome requirements on New Hampshire farmers that could have forced many farms out of business.

In response to these issues, Kuster partnered with the New Hampshire congressional delegation to lead a bipartisan, bicameral group of New England Representatives and Senators to engage with the FDA and help the agency understand the unique nature of New England agriculture.  Kuster called on the FDA to visit New Hampshire, and joined the New Hampshire and Vermont departments of agriculture to host an open forum with FDA staff in Hanover last August.  Based on Kuster’s advocacy and the input of thousands of farmers and consumers across New Hampshire, FDA agreed to revise the proposals and allow for additional public comment on the revisions.

“We are encouraged by FDA’s proposed changes to the produce and preventive controls rules to better meet the needs of New England’s diverse agricultural sector, said Roger Noonan, President of the New England Farmers Union. “We are very thankful for the leadership of Congresswoman Kuster and other members of our New England delegation in getting us to this point, and we look forward to continued engagement as we dive deeper into the revised proposals.”

Additional information on the revised proposals, as well as other actions related to implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act can be found on the FDA’s website, www.fda.gov/FSMA.

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