Dear Friend,
As we near completion of 2021, we at Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) are pleased to see the beginnings of policy changes improve the U.S. food system but recognize that we still have a long way to go.
We are humbled and grateful for our members’ insistence on ensuring the viability of small independent farmers and food producers. FTCLDF continues to offer increased member benefits and legal representation for small and independent farmers, food producers, and eaters.
Thank you for standing with FTCLDF these last couple of challenging years. We hope you will continue to help us grow and bring greater improvements to the policies regulating agriculture and food production.
FTCLDF continues to provide quality legal representation to members working to produce healthy, locally grown food. Towards that end, in 2021 FTCLDF has:
• Continued to fight in a federal appeals court to overturn the FDA’s ban on the interstate sale of raw butter. As you may recall, FTCLDF sued the FDA in federal court to receive a response to our petition to reverse this ban. The FDA finally issued a decision denying our request, and the D.C. Circuit Court upheld the FDA’s decision in May 2021, relying on the Public Health Services Act. In 2021, FTCLDF filed an appeal in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and will file briefs by the end of the year. Expect to hear more from us in 2022;
• Represented a member denied due process. FTCLDF filed a Writ of Mandamus asking the court to require a local agency to provide a member a hearing prior to confiscating her animals;
• Provided legal and member services through nearly 2,200 interactions with members, donors and stakeholders;
• Protected our members by drafting hundreds of dairy herdshare agreements, meat Bills of Sale, and meatshare agreements;
• Provided legal consultations on at least 250 matters not involving contractual assistance; and
• Represented a number of members in state or local agency cases involving:
- Alleged unlawful sales of meat not processed by USDA approved facilities;
- Alleged nuisance violations involving composting;
- Right-to-Farm defense on a number of concerns involving odors, noise, etc.
- Alleged violations of “weed and noxious plants” ordinances;
- Administrative hearings regarding livestock guardian dogs;
- Operating without a food establishment permit; and
- Overly broad confiscation of farm products.
We continue to improve basic services and responsiveness:
- By conducting a member survey to determine members’ priorities and needs. This information proves invaluable in policy efforts, such as pushing for federal and state solutions to the meat processing crisis.
- With new quarterly members-only webinars, offering experiences on farm marketing, legal obstacles to small producers, urban agriculture and more. Be on the lookout for more members-only resources in 2022.
FTCLDF Needs Your Help: Your donation provides direct legal services to members; supports our efforts to educate lawmakers and the public about the need to address undue regulations of farmers, ranchers, and artisan producers; and helps us all move toward a more sustainable food system.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Please donate today!
Joe Ramagli, Board President and Alexia Kulwiec, Executive Director
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