Environmentalist: Farm Bureau defection on conservation compliance won’t matter
October 10, 2013 | 08:17 PM
Craig Cox of the Environmental Working Group said today that the American Farm Bureau Federation’s decision to reverse its support for tying crop insurance subsidies to conservation compliance won’t matter.
“It is unfortunate, it is not entirely surprising,” Cox said. “The most important thing is that deals between lobbyists don’t matter, it is deals between lawmakers that do. We are confident that Sen. [Debbie] Stabenow will fight hard for this.”
Bruce Babcock, an agricultural economist who conducts studies for EWG added,
“If I were the crop insurance industry I would be lobbying to get it tied because it would inoculate them from attacks by people like me.”
Cox and Babcock made the comments during a telephone news conference on crop insurance.
“It is unfortunate, it is not entirely surprising,” Cox said. “The most important thing is that deals between lobbyists don’t matter, it is deals between lawmakers that do. We are confident that Sen. [Debbie] Stabenow will fight hard for this.”
Bruce Babcock, an agricultural economist who conducts studies for EWG added,
“If I were the crop insurance industry I would be lobbying to get it tied because it would inoculate them from attacks by people like me.”
Cox and Babcock made the comments during a telephone news conference on crop insurance.
