Sandisfield, Massachusetts and Trenton, Maine join the list of towns with new food sovereignty ordinances

From David E. Gumpert at the Complete Patient blog:

“Two additional towns have approved the Food Sovereignty laws developed out of coastal Maine.

What may be the first town outside of Maine to approve such a law is Sandisfield, MA. Brigitte Ruthman, who has been battling with Massachusetts regulators over the legality of her one-cow herdshare, reports that her town earlier this months “adopted a resolution as follows…..’We the people of the town of Sandisfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, have the right to produce, process, sell, purchase and consume local foods thus promoting self-reliance, the preservation of family farms and local food traditions.’”

And Deborah Evans, one of the original promoters of the Food Sovereignty idea, says the Maine town of Trenton just approved the ordinance as well, by a 29 to 25 vote.

That makes a total of five towns–four in Maine and one in Massachusetts–to approve the ordinances. I understand others are waiting in the wings….”

One of the chief goals of such legislation is to create a local zone in which state and federal regulators are prohibited from interfering with sale of controversial foods such as raw milk.