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For Immediate Release
December, 11 2018, 11:00pm EDT
Contact:
Darcey Rakestraw, 202-683-2467; drakestraw@fwwatch.org
Farm Bill Fails to Address Critical Problems with Food System
Yesterday, the Senate approved the conference report for the Farm Bill, less than 24 hours after the text of the bill was released. The House is expected to vote on the bill soon.
The following is a statement Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch:
"Once again, Congress has come up with a Farm Bill that fails to fix critical problems in our food system.
WASHINGTON
Yesterday, the Senate approved the conference report for the Farm Bill, less than 24 hours after the text of the bill was released. The House is expected to vote on the bill soon.
The following is a statement Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch:
"Once again, Congress has come up with a Farm Bill that fails to fix critical problems in our food system.
"We are glad to see that the final bill does not include many of the horrible provisions from the House bill that would have gutted the safety net provided by SNAP, preempted local and state regulations that are stronger than federal standards, and rolled back pesticide regulations. The final bill also contains some important progress for organic programs, including a long-overdue focus on strengthening enforcement of organic standards for imported products and funding for organic research, as well as important programs for beginning and social disadvantaged farmers.
"But just avoiding the worst parts of the terrible House bill isn't good enough. The final bill fails to rein in the factory farm system, and will continue to allow the meat industry to take advantage of guaranteed loans and conservation programs to subsidize their factory farms. And this farm bill continues to rely on the failed approach of crop insurance instead of the real reforms we need like restoring grain reserve and supply management programs that could be used to provide stability for farmers and rein in overproduction of the commodity crops that end up as cheap feed for factory farms."
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
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