|
The following letter was initiated by Kari Hamerschlag, senioranalyst at the Environmental Working Group, and authors Anna Lapp and Dan Imhoff out of frustration with the lack of meaningfulreforms and public input into the legislative process by the SenateAgriculture Committee as it drafted its 2012 Farm Bill. Additionalinput for the letter was sought among a dozen other originalsigners, who made key contributions. Every Member of Congressreceived a copy of the letter on June 4 in anticipation of the FarmBill going to the Senate floor for debate later this week. Organizers hope that this letter will spur more citizens to learnabout this legislation and contact their representatives. An Open Letter to Members of Congress: With the 2008 farm bill due to expire in a matter of months, theSenate Agriculture Committee approved legislation in April to steerthe next five years of national food and agriculture policy. Weapplaud the positive steps that the proposed bill takes underSenator Debbie Stabenow s leadership, including incentives forfruit and vegetable purchases, scaling up local production anddistribution of healthy foods and bolstering marketing and researchsupport for fruit, nut and vegetable farmers. Unfortunately, the Senate bill falls far short of the reformsneeded to come to grips with the nation s critical food andfarming challenges. It is also seriously out of step with thenation s priorities and what the American public expects and wantsfrom our food and farm policy. In a national poll last year, 78percent said making nutritious and healthy foods more affordableand accessible should be a top priority in the farm bill. Membersof the U.S. Council of Mayors and the National League of Citieshave both echoed this sentiment in recent statements calling for ahealthy food and farm bill. Although the committee proposal includes important reforms to thecommodity title, we are deeply concerned that it would continue togive away subsidies worth tens of billions of taxpayer dollars tothe largest commodity crop growers, insurance companies, andagribusinesses even as it drastically underfunds programs topromote the health and food security of all Americans, invest inbeginning and disadvantaged farmers, revitalize local foodeconomies and protect natural resources. We strongly object to anycuts in food assistance during such dire times for so manyAmericans. These critical shortcomings must be addressed when thebill goes to the Senate floor. As written, the bill would spend billions to guarantee income forthe most profitable farm businesses in the country. This would comeprimarily in the form of unlimited crop insurance premium subsidiesto industrial-scale growers who can well afford to pay more oftheir risk management costs. Crop insurance programs must bereformed to work better for diversified and organic farmers and toensure comprehensive payment caps or income eligibilityrequirements. Otherwise, this so called safety net becomes anextravagant entitlement for affluent landowners and insurancecompanies. In addition, the proposed $9 billion-a-year crop insurance programcomes with minimal societal obligations. Growers collectinghundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance premium subsidiesshould at least be required to take simple measures to protectwetlands, grassland and soil. Instead, the unlimited subsidies willencourage growers to plow up fragile areas and intensifyfencerow-to-fencerow cultivation of environmentally sensitive land,erasing decades of conservation gains. Most of the benefits from these programs would flow to theproducers of five big commodity crops (corn, soy, cotton, rice andwheat). Meanwhile, millions of consumers lack access to affordablefruits and vegetables, with the result that the diets of fewer thanfive percent of adults meet the USDA s daily nutrition guidelines.Partly as a result, one in three young people is expected todevelop diabetes and the diet-related health care costs ofdiabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke are risingprecipitously, reaching an estimated $70 billion a year. It doesn t have to be this way. The Government AccountabilityOffice has identified modest reforms to crop insurance subsidiesthat could save as much as $2 billion a year. Half could come frompayment limits that affect just four percent of the growers in theprogram. Congress should use these savings to provide full fundingfor conservation and nutrition assistance programs and strengtheninitiatives that support local and healthy food, organicagriculture and beginning and disadvantaged farmers. Theseinvestments could save billions in the long run by protectingvaluable water and soil resources, creating jobs and supportingfoods necessary for a healthy and balanced diet. When it is your turn to vote, we urge you to stand up for local andhealthy food and nutrition programs and to support equitable andfiscally responsible amendments that will protect and enhancepublic health and the environment while maintaining a reasonablesafety net for the farmers who grow our food. More than everbefore, the public demands this. Come November, they will be givingtheir votes to members of Congress who supported a healthy food andfarm bill that puts the interests of taxpayers, citizens and thevast majority of America s farmers first and foremost. Our nation was built on the principles of protecting our greatestlegacy: the land on which we grow our food and feed our families.Stand with us to protect not only farmers, without whom we wouldall go hungry, but to enact a food and farm bill that fairly andjudiciously serves the interests of all Americans. Sincerely, The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Waterproof Adhesive Tape , China Wound Plaster Dressing, and more. For more , please visit Capsicum Plaster today!
Related Articles -
Waterproof Adhesive Tape, China Wound Plaster Dressing,
|
