Senate approves Ag appropriations bill
November 02, 2011 | 08:00 AM | Filed in: Budget Conservation Food and Drug Administration Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Admin USDA
The Senate on Tuesday approved the fiscal year 2012 Agriculture appropriations bill as part of a larger package of bills.
The bill, which was debated before the Senate took a week off, covers the appropriations for the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies.
The House has already passed its version of the bill and the differences between the two must be reconciled before they come before the House and Senate as a conference report.
Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson called the passage of the Senate bill “a step in the right direction towards reducing our nation’s deficit while avoiding some of the more damaging cuts.”
“We have maintained that agriculture will do its part to help reduce the deficit,” Johnson added in a news release.
“The bill represents a 15 percent reduction in ag funding levels since fiscal year 2010,” he said. “That is still larger than many other departments, but better than the 26 percent cut passed in the House appropriations bill earlier this year. NFU was also pleased that the Senate did not include a policy rider to defund the completion and implementation of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule. The GIPSA rule will help restore fairness to the livestock market and ensure that independent producers are not at the mercy of large packers.
“Overall, the ag appropriations bill is a reasonable bill, and we hope that the final ag appropriations bill, after conferring with the House, closely resembles the Senate version,” Johnson said.
Aviva Glaser, National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation said the Senate had voted to slash more than $700 million from conservation programs that help farmers, ranchers and foresters, as well as soil, water and wildlife.
The federation said the bill slices funding in half for the Grasslands Reserve Program, cuts funding by 41 percent for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and zeroes out the Voluntary Public Access Program, which encourages farmers to make their land accessible to the public for hunting, fishing and other wildlife-based recreational opportunities.
“You reap what you sow, and the agriculture funding bill will be a bitter harvest for farmers, ranchers and wildlife,” said Aviva Glaser, agriculture policy coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.
The bill, which was debated before the Senate took a week off, covers the appropriations for the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies.
The House has already passed its version of the bill and the differences between the two must be reconciled before they come before the House and Senate as a conference report.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson called the passage of the Senate bill “a step in the right direction towards reducing our nation’s deficit while avoiding some of the more damaging cuts.”
“We have maintained that agriculture will do its part to help reduce the deficit,” Johnson added in a news release.
“The bill represents a 15 percent reduction in ag funding levels since fiscal year 2010,” he said. “That is still larger than many other departments, but better than the 26 percent cut passed in the House appropriations bill earlier this year. NFU was also pleased that the Senate did not include a policy rider to defund the completion and implementation of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule. The GIPSA rule will help restore fairness to the livestock market and ensure that independent producers are not at the mercy of large packers.
“Overall, the ag appropriations bill is a reasonable bill, and we hope that the final ag appropriations bill, after conferring with the House, closely resembles the Senate version,” Johnson said.
The National Wildlife Federation said the Senate had voted to slash more than $700 million from conservation programs that help farmers, ranchers and foresters, as well as soil, water and wildlife.
The federation said the bill slices funding in half for the Grasslands Reserve Program, cuts funding by 41 percent for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and zeroes out the Voluntary Public Access Program, which encourages farmers to make their land accessible to the public for hunting, fishing and other wildlife-based recreational opportunities.
“You reap what you sow, and the agriculture funding bill will be a bitter harvest for farmers, ranchers and wildlife,” said Aviva Glaser, agriculture policy coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.
