Nightmare Farm Bill Passes House of Representatives
Bill guts environmental laws, prohibits local regulations, impacts children's health
Washington, D.C. â?? Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a damaging Farm Bill that, if implemented, would undermine protections for public health, nutrition programs, and the environment. Center for Food Safety and hundreds of other farmer, environmental, consumer, public health, and social justice groups have publicly opposed the dangerous bill since it was first introduced in April. The Farm Bill is intended to protect family farmers, promote food security, advance rural development, and support diverse, resilient agriculture in the U.S. Instead, the House bill would cut critical conservation programs, establish stricter eligibility requirements for supplemental nutrition programs, endorse large subsidies to mega-farms, gut funding for rural support programs, undermine the integrity of the organic label, and remove important requirements for pesticide approvals.
"This Farm Bill is an enormous wish-list for pesticide companies," says Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of Center for Food Safety. "By allowing it to pass, Congress is creating ever greater food insecurity among the nation's most vulnerable populations and jeopardizing the health of our children, our communities, and our environment."
Among the most egregious impacts, the bill prohibits local governments from passing regulations that restrict pesticide use within their jurisdiction. This is not only undemocratic, but prevents communities from protecting their children's health by limiting applications of toxic chemicals that impair child development. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld this authority for local governments. The bill also removes the requirement that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consult with other federal agencies when it reviews pesticides to adequately assess their impacts on endangered species.
The Senate, which passed their version of the Farm Bill out of committee earlier this month, has so far rejected much of the damaging language supported in the House and retained critical conservation and nutrition provisions. The Senate has indicated the bill will be debated before July 4th. Should their version pass, the chairs of each agricultural committee will conference together to combine both texts.
"It now falls to the Senate to ensure that our farm policies promote healthy, safe foods," said Kimbrell. "To allow the House language into the final bill would be devastating for public health and the environment."
