There is an urgent need to enact a transformation to organic agriculture in order to address existential threats to human health, climate, and biodiversity. The Farm Bill covers many areas—ranging from the supplemental nutritional assistance program (SNAP) to trade—offering many opportunities for strengthening organic production.
>>Tell Congress to use the Farm Bill to strengthen organic agriculture and our democratic process.
As Congress drafts the 2023 Farm Bill, there is an opportunity for many topics—good and bad—to be introduced. Dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s, which addressed threats posed by the Great Depression and drought, the Farm Bill is an omnibus bill passed every five years. It is designed to secure a sufficient food supply, establish fair food prices for both farmers and consumers, provide supplemental food assistance, and protect the soil and other natural resources on which farmers depend, but includes much more. Several proposals relevant to organic agriculture are currently under consideration, and Congress needs to hear that there is strong public support for those that will strengthen organic agriculture. In addition, bills that threaten democratic processes are also being considered. Our voices are also needed to oppose attacks on democracy and support an open, democratic process in writing the Farm Bill.
The Farm Bill is created through a process of negotiation that largely excludes the public at large. It consists of many sections, championed by a number of different constituencies and vest interests. The Agriculture Committees negotiate the contents of the Farm Bill, but it reaches Congress as one bill to be considered as a whole. As the Farm Bill is currently being put together, we are aware of several potential “marker bills” relevant to organic agriculture and the adoption of organic land care that may be incorporated.
Positive goals may be supported by these marker bills:
- Increase number of organic farms.
- Support beginning and BIPOC farmers.
- Promote soil health and climate resilience through conservation policy.
- Sustain research that supports organic.
- Provide infrastructure that supports organic.
- Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act (S. 2023)
- Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act (S. 2023)
- Support for organic dairy is urgently needed, but so far no marker bill has been introduced that covers these areas:
- More detailed organic milk data to reflect the depth of information provided for non-organic milk production.
- An organic dairy safety net program based on organic-specific milk and input cost data.
- Immediate support to address dramatically increased organic input costs for organic dairy farms.
- Investment in organic milk processing infrastructure that serves areas within the US that have large numbers of organic dairies.
- Fund feasibility studies on Regional Organic Milkshed Market Access.
- Expand and improve access for organic dairy farmers to current funding.
- Create Regional positions for Organic Dairy Market Specialists.
- Support increased regionally headquartered processing capacity.
- Invest in local and regional food systems.
- Address consolidation in food and agriculture.
- The following measures to strengthen organic integrity should be supported, but currently no bill incorporates them:
- Set a timeframe for the NOP to do rulemaking after receiving a National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendation when the recommendation is supported by 2/3 of the board.
- Require the NOP to clearly state how their rulemaking relates to NOSB recommendations.
- Authorize funding for the NOP to keep pace with organic industry growth and direct specific resources towards standards development.
- Allow USDA to expand the definition of reimbursable expenses for farmer members of the NOSB to cover substitute labor on their operations during their Board service. Restore the NOSB procedure for “sunset review” of National List materials, to require a 2/3 vote to re-list a material (as opposed to the current process of a 2/3 vote needed to de-list.)
- Require the NOP to accredit third-party material review organizations that review agricultural inputs for compliance with the organic standards.
- Grant the NOP the authority to take enforcement actions against false organic claims on agricultural non-food products.
In addition, the following bills threaten the adoption of pesticide restrictions and organic land care by communities and should be strenuously opposed:
- Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act (H.R. 4288).
- Threatens to undermine local and state authority to protect the health of their residents from pesticides—effectively overturning decades of Supreme Court precedent.
- Threatens to undermine local and state authority to protect the health of their residents from pesticides—effectively overturning decades of Supreme Court precedent.
- Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act (EATS Act, S. 2019), not to be confused with the Enhance Access to Snap Act (also abbreviated EATS Act).
- The EATS Act is virtually identical to the notorious “King amendment,” which former Rep. Steve King (R-IA) tried unsuccessfully to attach to the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills, generating overwhelming bipartisan opposition. With the bill's purpose “To prevent States and local jurisdictions from interfering with the production and distribution of agricultural products....” local and state health and environmental concerns are preempted. An analysis of the King amendment by the Harvard Law School Animal Law & Policy Program produced a long, but not exhaustive, list of laws in every state that could be repealed by the EATS Act.
Note: We will update this action as more information becomes available to Beyond Pesticides.
>>Tell Congress to use the Farm Bill to strengthen organic agriculture and our democratic process.
The target for this Action is the U.S. Congress.
Thank you for your active participation and engagement!