Keep up the Pressure Against the
Goodlatte Pesticide Provision!
Keep up the pressure on your members of Congress to oppose the Goodlatte Pesticide Provision in the Farm Bill! Last week, we sent you an action alert telling you to urge your members of Congress to oppose the Goodlatte Pesticide Provision. Due in large part to your calls, momentum against the provision is building. Right now, a Dear Colleague letter urging agriculture leaders in Congress to exclude this provision from the final Farm Bill is circulating in both the House and Senate. We need as many members of Congress as possible to add their names to this letter – please call your members of Congress NOW and urge them to join the Dear Colleague letter opposing the Goodlatte Pesticide Provision!
The deadline for signing onto the letter is fast approaching – please make your calls right away! When you call, tell your Representative to contact Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) and your Senators to contact Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). If your member of Congress has already signed onto the letter, please thank them for their support!
Contact Info for Your Members of Congress
Visit congressmerge.com/onlinedb to find out who represents you.
Please let Tracy Lerman, Policy Program Assistant, know if you've contacted your members of Congress. Call (831) 426-6606 x 108 or email tracy@ofrf.org. Thanks for all of your advocacy efforts!
Background
House and Senate Conferees are considering whether to include a “pesticide non-discrimination” provision from the House Farm Bill that was sponsored by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee. The provision states, “In establishing priorities and evaluation criteria for the approval of plans, contracts, and agreements under title II [the Conservation title], the Secretary of Agriculture shall not discriminate against the use of specific registered pesticide products or classes of pesticide products.” If this provision or one like it is included in the final Farm Bill, USDA Conservation Programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), could be prohibited from assisting farmers who want to convert to organic farming practices. In addition, USDA Conservation Programs won’t be able to address natural resources threatened by pesticide contamination or effectively promote environmentally friendly pest control.
In previous years, some states have used payments administered through EQIP to assist growers converting to organic farming practices. In the new Farm Bill, there will likely be language creating an Organic Conversion Program, to be administered through EQIP, that would provide financial and technical assistance to growers converting to organic practices. USDA certified organic farming practices only allow use of pesticides permitted under the Organic Foods Production Act. If the Goodlatte pesticide amendment is allowed into the final Farm Bill, USDA’s efforts to assist farmers in converting to organic may be severely restricted.
USDA would also be restricted from curtailing usage of pesticides posing specific threats to air and water quality, or promoting Integrated Pest Management practices or other environmentally friendly pest control methods. Both of these practices could be construed to discriminate against specific pesticides.
Join OFRF's Organic Farmers Action Network by clicking on the link at: www.ofrf.org
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