Source: NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE COALITION, 4/18/18

Today, the House Agriculture Committee passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill – the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2) – along strict party lines. All Committee Republicans voted to support the bill, and all Democrats voted to oppose. In response, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment:

The bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee today undermines decades of work by farmers and advocates to advance sustainable agriculture and food systems in the U.S. H.R. 2 eliminates critical conservation, local food, business development, and organic agriculture programs that play key roles in keeping the American farm economy strong. These changes will severely limit opportunities for farmers and ranchers who want to implement conservation systems or diversify their operations in order to tap into new markets. The bill also jettisons over 30 years of precedent on commodity subsidy payment limits and fiscal accountability measures. These changes will allow for unlimited farm subsidies for the nation’s largest mega-farms and lead to accelerated land and farm consolidation. Additionally, the bill fails to invest what is truly needed to help the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and places no limits at all on crop insurance subsidies for the wealthiest operations.

Throughout the remainder of this process, NSAC remains committed to working with members of Congress in both chambers to pass a 2018 Farm Bill that all Americans can be proud of.