For Immediate Release: June 21, 2018
Washington, DC – HR 2, the widely criticized House version of the 2018 Farm Bill, narrowly passed this afternoon (213-211), and food and farming advocates say it fails to invest in sustainable farming or rural and urban communities across the country. Advocates say a better but still flawed version of the Farm Bill will be taken up in the Senate in the coming days. The decision also comes as two flawed anti-immigration bills failed to advance in the House earlier in the day.
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is one of more than 500 organizations who voiced opposition to the House bill, including farmer organizations, advocates for rural communities, and hunger and social justice groups. Thousands of PAN’s supporters across the country voiced their opposition to the bill, and urged their Representatives not to support it.
PAN’s Executive Director Kristin Schafer released the following statement in response to today’s passage of the House Farm Bill:
“We said it before and we’ll say it again: the House Farm Bill fails to address the challenges facing communities across the country. This legislation doesn’t serve the most hungry in our communities, and ignores very real threats to the future of farming in this country from depletion of our soil, contamination of our water and air, and decimation of rural communities.
The bill the House passed this afternoon also creates loopholes that would result in more harmful pesticides on the market, benefitting only the corporations that produce them. It also undermines the authority of local communities to put any rules in place related to agricultural production. This is irresponsible and unacceptable.
Whether white, black or brown, rural or urban, the Farm Bill impacts us all. It is an opportunity to join together across racial, cultural and geographic differences to build a healthy, just and thriving food and farming system. Today, the House decided to instead bow to wealthy special interests that rig the rules against farmers, farmworkers, families and rural communities.
The Senate has an opportunity for real leadership. We will be joining the growing coalition that is now pressing for improvements to their working draft of the bill, rather than retreating to the significantly flawed House version.”
For more on PAN’s Food & Farm Platform, that directs our position on the Farm Bill, please visit our website.
Press contact:
Paul Towers, 916-216-1082, ptowers@panna.org
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