New food bill in New Zealand takes away human right to grow food ?

[Terry]

http://investmentwatchblog.com/new-f...-to-grow-food/

Can some-one please explain to me (possibly in easy words... ), what this is all about? I understand it in such a way, that people are not allowed to grow food in their gardens and maybe give some to their neighbours (- Growing food for distribution must be authorised, even for “cottage industries”, and such authorisation can be denied.).... but if I got this right, I see no reason in this article displayed....

Here's another link on that subject - a link to the actual bill, but I'm not able to understand if it's supporting my understanding from above or not
......
Small scale businesses

We recommend amending clause 95 by inserting new subclause 95(5) to provide an example of a person to whom the chief executive might grant an exemption from the requirement to operate under a registered food control plan or national programme. This example concerns someone who produces in his or her own home any food for sale, and sells the food to a consumer only, and does not employ or engage anyone else to assist in the production or sale of the food, and does not otherwise sell or distribute the food.

The treatment of very small-scale food businesses has emerged as a matter of particular interest in our consideration of the bill. Very small-scale food traders, or "“cottage industries”" are not distinguished in the bill. It would be difficult to quantify "“small-scale”" in terms of profit, quantity of product, or number of people involved in the operation, and it is also difficult to define a "“cottage”" food industry. Doing so could have the effect of inappropriately including or excluding particular food-trading activities. Therefore we do not recommend a generic "“cottage industry”" provision, and propose instead that any exemption from the requirement to operate under a food control plan or national programme regulations could be made on a case-by-case basis through the exercise of the chief executive’s exemption power under this clause
......

[Never]

I read the second link and am not sure about the meaning of the bill. The first link doesn't work. Not sure if it's a temporary problem with the site or what.

[Gurdur]

1) Just looked very quickly. I don't yet see anything against food self-grown and given away, though I could have missed it; all the legislation seems aimed at food grown for sale.

2) It's not about taking away rights, it's about regulating for cleanliness and health issues in food grown for sale. Apparently New Zealand has a very high rate of food-borne illnesses, and wants to do something effective about it.

[Wet Walnuts]

It appears, based on my cursory reading of the statutory provision in question, that the Primary Production Committee (which I assume is a committee of the NZ Parliament) is recommending that exemptions from the regulations of the Food Bill be granted on a "case-by-case" basis to small-scale producers (e.g. home gardeners, etc.). [I admittedly did not have the time or inclination to read the whole thing.]

It's not a terrible idea, but it seems to me that it would create another layer of bureaucracy for home food growers. I can understand wanting national standards for food safety, but expecting people to apply for exemptions from national policy just to grow food for their own families is bit extreme...though in the past we have had a similar situation in the USA.

I don't really know enough about the law and politics of New Zealand to comment any further than that, save for the obligatory sheep joke.

[Terry]

Hmmm... it sometimes is difficult to decide (i.e. on Facebook) which informations of set links, and especially which COMMENTS on said links, are extremely dis-informing and kind of a whacky conspiracy theory... it's sometimes not easy in german, and english sites can be tricky for me.... well, the subject above seemed to me like an outrageous try to regulate home food-gardening - but I wasn't sure, so I asked you.