FINAL FARM BILL TO GO TO FULL HOUSE, SENATE

FINAL FARM BILL TO GO TO FULL HOUSE, SENATE

House and Senate conferees announced at a May 8 news conference their agreement on the 2007 Farm Bill, which for the first time recognizes the importance of fruits and vegetables by creating a new specialty crops subtitle and approving significant funding for specialty crops provisions.
The bill assists specialty crop producers by:

• Expanding the USDA Fruit & Vegetable Snack Program to all 50 states.

• Establishing a $230 million specialty crop research initiative to develop and disseminate science-based tools to address the needs of specialty crop producers.

• Increasing funding for state-level specialty crop grants that focus on local, regional and statewide programs to enhance producers’ ability to compete in the marketplace.

• Enhancing critical trade assistance with both technical and market promotion tools that will grow international markets for specialty crops.

• Investing in prevention and mitigation programs and tools to combat invasive pests and diseases.

• Facilitating specialty crop producers’ access to and participation in conservation programs.

• Clarifying that retailers must comply with country of origin labeling requirements by Sept. 30, 2008.

The bill moves to the Senate and House floors before going to the president for his signature. In the case of a presidential veto, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance will focus attention on members of the House, where an override is less likely than in the Senate.

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