URGENT Nat'l Alert - Support Local Food in Farm Bill [Senate Cmte 8/6]

Tell Your Senators to Change the Farm Bill

Support Local Food

Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up the Senate Farm Bill August 6th (tomorrow). In this process the committee will consider amendments to its current version of the Farm Bill; once it has decided on adding any amendments or making other changes, it will vote on sending the Farm Bill to the full Senate for a floor vote. Once the committee is done with the markup, it will be very difficult to make any more changes to the Senate Farm Bill.

The time to mend the bill is now. Please contact your U.S. Senators today.

There are several measures that weren’t in the draft Senate Farm bill, including the PRIME Act pilot program that was part of the House Farm Bill; three issues especially need to be addressed. The PRIME Act pilot program allows the interstate sale of meat by the cut processed in a limited number of custom facilities in each state over the life of the program. The Senate Farm Bill has also left out the LOCAL Foods Act which, like the PRIME Act pilot program, will expand access to local meat. The Senate Farm Bill also needs to overturn the disastrous recent Supreme Court decision that gave pesticide manufacturers protection from liability for injuries their products cause.

ACTION TO TAKE

Call your two U.S. Senators today and ask them to support amendments that strengthen local food, not industrial food. See Talking Points below to raise specific issues.

Click here to find your Senators by state; their office phone number also shows so you can dial them directly. Or you can call the Capitol switchboard(202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator’s office.

TALKING POINTS – Three issues you can raise; bring up any or all of them:

1. The PRIME Act Pilot Program. The current lack of local slaughterhouse infrastructure hurts consumer freedom of choice and the ability of small farmers and ranchers to access the facility that will process their meat. The pilot program is a significant step in strengthening local slaughterhouse infrastructure in the U.S. and building a more resilient food system. [see 5/23/2024 Action Alert about Sec. 12114 in the House Farm Bill]

2. The LOCAL Foods Act (S.1212) will improve consumer access to local meat and increase the ability of farmers not to get caught up in local slaughter house bottlenecks Inclusion of the “Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local Foods Act” would allow the designated agent of the owner of a partial or whole animal to assist in the on-farm slaughter and processing of the animal.

3.Eliminate Liability Shield for Pesticide Manufacturers. Senator Cory Booker is offering an amendment to the Farm Bill that would reverse the Supreme Court’s decision in Monsanto v. Durnell and restore the ability to bring state law failure-to-warn claims against pesticide manufacturers. Someone injured by a product should have a right to sue the product’s manufacturer to recover damages for injuries. Pesticide companies will have much less incentive to produce a safe product if the Supreme Court decision stands; it will be a disaster for public health similar to what has happened to the vaccine industry with the immunity vaccine manufacturers have had for the last forty years.

LINKS

2026 Farm Bill, Senate version-

https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/agricultural-act-of-2026-farm-bill-20`

Contact Your Senators –

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

5/23/2024 Alert – PRIME Act Pilot Program [Sec. 12114] –