Unfortunately, Congress in the US is moving ahead with a Farm Bill that would be disastrous for the environment, our health, and family farmers.
The bills passed in each chamber will now make their way to a “conference committee” where secret negotiations to form a single bill will take place. However this also presents an opportunity to derail dangerous provisions from being included in the final Farm Bill.
The bill’s current language would preempt state and local rights by preventing governments from protecting its citizens from toxic pesticides and hazardous waste from CAFOs. It would also gut local and regional food systems by eliminating important assistance to grow rural communities and support family farmers.
This nightmare bill, if passed as is, would gut years of significant progress the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and others have made in advancing sustainable agriculture and protecting the environment from pesticides and other harmful practices. With your support, CFS has won numerous lawsuits to protect the environment and human health from the impacts of pesticides, factory farms, and chemicals. CFS has been at the forefront of pollinator and endangered species protection efforts, fighting through legal and policy actions to improve pesticide regulation.
Unfortunately, Congress is poised to do the bidding of Big Ag. The bill encourages pesticide use by inhibiting meaningful court review of unlawfully approved pesticides, thus threatening extinction of endangered species. It also pushes back the current deadlines for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and re-approve currently-used pesticides, allowing them to remain on the market.
Chip in to help CFS keep EPA accountable. The agency should be helping people, not pesticide companies!
The bill would also weaken the national organic food law and threaten organic integrity if it eliminates funding for the organic cost share program, which provides much-needed assistance to farmers that get certified. The bill undermines the independent National Organic Standards Board that is supposed to advise on the organic standards and review materials proposed for allowed uses in organic foods.
Help CFS today ensure stronger provisions on pesticide use and protect our national organic food law.
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These may likely be the last weeks of negotiation on the Farm Bill. Help CFS hold Congress accountable for their actions and eliminate the most dangerous provisions in the Farm Bill.
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