A crucial food safety bill is expected to hit the U.S. Senate floor sometime during the week of April 19-23. The House bill and the current Senate version of the bill generally agree on closing some important loopholes to ensure food safety. However, the versions of the bill moving toward enactment are still a serious threat for small, sustainable farms, because they impose costs that are financially feasible on a mass, industrial scale, but back breaking on the small, sustainable scale.

Senator Jon Tester (D – Montana) is an organic farmer himself, so he understands the potential impact of this bill. He’s proposed an amendment that would put in place some much needed fixes. His proposed amendment to S. 510 would exempt small-scale farmers and food processors from the most burdensome regulations — elements of the bill that could stomp the growing momentum of the clean farm and food movement.

This is perhaps the last chance to change the bill since it has already passed the House. What looms is a vote before the full Senate, and then it will only get one last vote in each chamber of Congress before it goes to President Obama for his signature and becomes the law of the land.

Thus, there are only a few days left to convince each Senator to support the Tester amendment. Given that, the social action agency CREDO has set up a free fax action alert. It’s an autofax. You just enter your info on the web and click. Fast, easy, free.

Even if you’ve already called or emailed, please consider using CREDO’s action alert now to send a fax and register your opinion with your Senator.  Every action makes a difference.