Ask Your Federal Legislators to Remove Harmful Provisions from the Farm Bill

Congress is negotiating the final Farm Bill. It is critical that we stop the provisions that weaken pesticide oversight and cut conservation funding.

The House passed its Farm Bill, H.R. 7567, on April 30 by a vote of 224–200. That vote included a big win: lawmakers stripped out liability protections for pesticide manufacturers, with the Luna amendment passing 280–142. But the fight isn’t over as other harmful pesticide provisions remain in the House-passed bill.

In the Senate, the Agriculture Committee passed Senator Boozman’s version along party lines, 12–11. It was reported to the Senate on September 24 and placed on the calendar as S. 5526.

The troubling provisions in the bill that must be removed are:

• House 10201/Senate 10201
  Synthetic Look-Alike Pesticides Skip Safety Review/GE Plant Exemptions
  Certain plant biostimulants would be excluded from federal pesticide law and expand exemptions for pesticidal substances produced in plants. That could open the door to exempting synthetic chemicals in toxic families like pyrethroids and neonicotinoids, which are linked to cancer, neurological harm, and bee declines.
• House 7308 & 10202/Senate 10208 & 10209
  Expanded USDA Role in EPA Pesticide Decisions
  USDA would gain new influence over the EPA’s pesticide decisions through required “coordination.” EPA would be required to conduct and publish an economic analysis of the costs of implementing pesticide safety measures, putting new significance on industry costs in decisions that should only center on health impacts. The bill also increases funding for USDA’s pesticide office.
• House 10203/Senate 10203
  USDA and Industry Gain Increased Influence
  Requires that the USDA’s pesticide office have a seat at every meeting of a new interagency working group, shaping how the EPA protects endangered species from pesticides. The working group would also have to consult with industry stakeholders in decisions about pesticide registrations that are potentially harmful to the environment and drinking water.
• House 10204/Senate 10207
  Pesticide Review Deadline Extended to 2031
  The legislation would delay deadlines for completion of hundreds of overdue pesticide safety reviews for 5 more years. Congress should not give the EPA additional years to complete overdue reviews.
• House 2501(a)(2)/Senate 2401
  Cuts to EQIP Conservation Funding for Farmers
  Both Bills reduce funding available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which supports on-farm conservation.

Senator Boozman has said Senators and House members will informally conference to work out differences between the two versions, and advocates report that closed-door negotiations among Agriculture Committee leaders are underway. That’s where bad provisions can get slipped back in, so take action now by contacting your Senators and your Congressional representative and urge them to vote the bill down if it still contains these harmful provisions.

Please consider taking an additional step by calling Senator John Boozman, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair, at (202) 224-4843 and urge him to remove the Farm Bill provisions that weaken pesticide oversight and cut conservation funding.