House Approves Ag Spending Bill
Animal ID hot button issue in appropriations debate.
Compiled by staff
Published: May 24, 2006
Tuesday night the House passed the FY07 Agriculture appropriations bill, which strips a provision to extend the Milk Income Loss Contract program and limits USDA's ability to implement a national animal identification system.
In total, the bill provides $18.4 billion in total discretionary resources. This level represents a decrease of $96 million below the FY06 enacted level and $564 million over the President's budget request. The bill also contains $76.1 billion in mandatory spending, primarily for farm subsides and food stamps.
The spending bill specifically prohibits USDA spending any funds on NAIS until Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns submits the House Appropriations Committee a "complete and detailed plan, including but not limited to proposed legislation changes, cost estimates and means of program evaluation."
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed an amendment offered by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., which would extend the MILC program for 30 days to expire in tandem with the remaining 2002 Farm Bill programs. By a point of order, the amendment was removed on the House floor.
The MILC program was extended with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2006, but left a funding gap by ending payments on August 31, 2007, one month before the farm bill is set to expire. The National Farmers Union says leaving this funding gap in place jeopardizes the future of the dairy economic safety net heading into the farm bill's renewal. It will not be figured into baseline figures for the 2007 Farm Bill debate.
"Not closing the MILC gap places dairy producers on an unlevel playing field heading into the next farm bill," says NFU President Tom Buis. "National Farmers Union will work with the Senate to ensure the MILC gap is closed, and calls upon the House Agriculture Committee to ensure dairy producers are not left behind in the next farm bill."
The House also rejected attempts to restore acreage in wetlands reserve program to the maximum 250,000 acres authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill.
Permalink: Click here
Tagged: farm, farm bill, usda, dairy producers
|