Agricultural News
Farmer Co-ops President Reacts to Farm Bill Conference Report
Tue, 28 Jan 2014 09:59:06 CST
National Council of Farmers Cooperatives President Chuck Conner issued the following statement after the on the Farm Bill Conference Report:
"It is long past time for Congress to act in approving a new five-year farm bill. Since last September, farmers and ranchers across the country have faced unprecedented uncertainty in planning for the upcoming crop year. The conference report on the farm bill will provide the certainty producers and their co-ops need and NCFC urges both the House and Senate to approve the farm bill without delay.
"The bill contains many provisions reflecting the priorities of farmer co-ops and their members across the country. These include new provisions related to dairy, continuation of current sugar policy and full funding for export promotion programs such as the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program.
"At the same time, the conference report fails to address several important issues, especially in the area of providing relief to producers facing costly and unnecessary regulations. For instance, the bill lacks provisions, as included in the House bill, that would clarify congressional intent and eliminate the requirements of a Clean Water Act permit for the use of pesticides registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Another provision from the House bill which was not included in the conference report would have modified the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure rules as they relate to farmers.
"NCFC looks forward to working with Congress as the farm bill moves towards a final vote and as the new legislation is implemented over the coming years."
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