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Some of you may be aware of the way the USDA has attacked a family about raising a few rabbits. See here for background. I wrote my Congress critters asking for more information. Only one of them, Peter Welch, made any response on this. Recently I received this letter from our esteemed Congress critter’s office:

From: Jake.Oster@mail.house.gov [Of Peter Welch’s Office -WJ]
Subject: RE: Rabbits and the USDA
Date: July 1, 2011 12:55:56 PM EDT
To: walterj

Walter,

Of course. [I had asked him to email me instead of phone. -WJ]

I spoke to the USDA about the case yesterday. The person raising the rabbits ran afoul of the Animal Welfare Act when they sold more than 500 rabbits from their home. That level of sales requires a permit.

USDA has been in touch with the seller and agreed to excuse the fine if the seller reduced his sales below the 500 animal threshold. The resolution is still pending so none of this information if set in stone but that is the current status of the case.

I hope this helps. I am happy to provide more information if you have further questions or new developments occur in the case.

Best,

Jake Oster
……………………………….
Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL)

My response:

From: walterj
Subject: Re: Rabbits and the USDA
Date: July 1, 2011 1:05:43 PM EDT
To: Jake.Oster@mail.house.gov [Of Peter Welch’s Office -WJ]

Thank you for explaining.

So, factory “farms” have tens of thousands or even millions of animals in horrible conditions (I’ve been to my cousin’s place many times) and their animal abuse is government sanctioned because they have the necessary “permits”.

Meanwhile a family hits some arbitrary low 500 per year threshold (41/month or 1.3/day) in sales and they’re keel-hauled by our beloved leer-less feeders. This is but one example of the sort of government corruption we need to fix.

This is a beautiful example of why we need fewer government regulations since the ones they have they’re using to abuse citizens. We need fewer regulations abusing citizens and small farmers without letting the CAFOs and Big Corps continuing to run rampant with their abuses and pollution. What can Peter Welch do to fight this?

[So there is some Independence Day news of government stomping on citizens. This case made the news. How many other cases didn’t? How many thousands more cases would there be if the government drove every back country road looking for every chicken as they literally threatened? This is exactly the sort of story I feared coming out of NAIS. If we had a National Animal Identification System it would become illegal for people to own, raise, kill and eat animals without the government’s approval. No permit, no freedom. Then the government can simply withhold permits from people they don’t like for one reason or another. This is a sure fired recipe for government abuse of the citizen that is tried and true throughout history the world over.

The USDA is still pushing for Animal ID. All they have done is change the name and push the policing more onto the states. Keep pushing back. Write your Congressional critters, your state legislators, newspapers and let them know how you feel as farmers, homesteaders and consumers. -WJ]

—

[Update: See Esbee’s comment on the Bulletin Board about a post by Bungalow Bill. -WJ]

[I posted this over on my farm blog and realized it belongs here too as it is a significant change in how our government oversees food. -WJ]

In a very interesting development the USDA has changed their recommendations on cooking meat by lowering the recommended cooking temperature from 165°F to 145°F. This is a very surprising and pleasing move from our fearless leaders. It is extremely unusual for government to backdown and admit that they were wrong. I wonder whether it was the scientific evidence or perhaps the push from food lovers that has led to new rules. Maybe a combination. It isn’t clear. The changes are appreciated as I always felt bad reciting the old rules that say to cook everything until it tastes like shoe leather. Without further ado, here are the new official rules:

USDA Revises Recommended Cooking Temperature for All Whole Cuts of Meat, Including Pork, to 145 °F

Cooking Temperature for Ground Pork, Beef,
Veal, Lamb remains at 160 °F

Kathy Bernard (301) 344-4764

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating its recommendation for safely cooking pork, steaks, roasts, and chops. USDA recommends cooking all whole cuts of meat to 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, then allowing the meat to rest for three minutes before carving or consuming.

This change does not apply to ground meats, including ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork, which should be cooked to 160 °F and do not require a rest time. The safe cooking temperature for all poultry products, including ground chicken and turkey, remains at 165 °F.

“With a single temperature for all whole cuts of meat and uniform 3 minute stand time, we believe it will be much easier for consumers to remember and result in safer food preparation,” said Under Secretary Elisabeth Hagen. “Now there will only be 3 numbers to remember: 145 for whole meats, 160 for ground meats and 165 for all poultry.”

USDA is lowering the recommended safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 °F to 145 °F and adding a three-minute rest time. The safe temperature for cuts of beef, veal, and lamb remains unchanged at 145 °F, but the department is adding a three-minute rest time as part of its cooking recommendations. Cooking raw pork, steaks, roasts, and chops to 145 °F with the addition of a three-minute rest time will result in a product that is both microbiologically safe and at its best quality.

Why the Rest Time is Important

A “rest time” is the amount of time the product remains at the final temperature, after it has been removed from a grill, oven, or other heat source. During the three minutes after meat is removed from the heat source, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys pathogens. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has determined that it is just as safe to cook cuts of pork to 145 °F with a three minute rest time as it is to cook them to 160 °F, the previously recommended temperature, with no rest time. The new cooking suggestions reflect the same standards that the agency uses for cooked meat products produced in federally inspected meat establishments, which rely on the rest time of three minutes to achieve safe pathogen reduction.

Appearance of Cooked Pork

The new cooking recommendations clarify long-held perceptions about cooking pork. Historically, consumers have viewed the color pink in pork to be a sign of undercooked meat. If raw pork is cooked to 145 °F and allowed to rest for three minutes, it may still be pink but is safe to eat. The pink color can be due to the cooking method, added ingredients, or other factors. As always, cured pork (e.g., cured ham and cured pork chops) will remain pink after cooking.

Appearance in meat is not a reliable indicator of safety or risk. Only by using a food thermometer can consumers determine if meat has reached a sufficient temperature to destroy pathogens of public health concern. Any cooked, uncured red meats – including pork – can be pink, even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature.

For more information about raw pork, including storage information, see our fact sheet. Consumers can also “Ask Karen,” FSIS’ virtual food safety representative, at AskKaren.gov or m.AskKaren.gov.
-FSIS USDA Press Release NR_052411_01

Will wonders never cease. So, I’ve updated the cooking notes on the Roasters page in the menu bar above. I do have a couple of roasters and suckling pigs on hand for people who have upcoming events. Get them while they last!

Outdoors: 79°F/50°F Sunny
Tiny Cottage: 77°F/62°F

Daily Spark: “Farming is the worst way in the world to make a living but it’s the best way in the world to raise a family.” -farmer Matt Farmer^† of Lamesa, Texas quoted in Los Angeles Times article VNews 20110530C

^†Yes, that really is the farmer’s name. Cool, huh! I keep a list of these.

Promoted from comments by Phantom:

Today, at newswithviews Devvy Kidd has written a tribute to Derry Brownfield, who died on Saturday…unexpectantly. Many of Derry’s articles are at newswithviews…and an especially good one, on NAIS, was…”our land..collateral for the national debt”…Derry Brownfield leaves us so much of his great wisdom…with his writings and radio broadcasts…