Rep. Peter Welch says lawmakers are nearing a deal on a long-overdue farm bill that will be good for Vermont.
During his mid-January break from Congress, the former state senator spoke before a joint Agriculture Committee meeting Thursday to provide an update on the federal farm bill.
Welch, D-Vt., said critical protections for Vermont’s dairy industry could remain in the bill despite a continued impasse over the measure’s five-year renewal in Congress.
“The news I’m getting is that we are close to a compromise where the fundamental elements of the dairy stabilization program would remain intact. And if that’s the case, then that would be, I think, a significant improvement for Vermont dairy, national dairy and, ironically, for the taxpayers as well,” he told state lawmakers.
The dairy stabilization plan, which he said was largely designed by Vermont farmers, provides insurance for participating milk producers during dairy market fluctuations that sometimes force dairy farmers to overproduce.
“The dairy stabilization plan, in my view, would allow farmers to work together on a voluntary basis to adjust production levels depending on what the market demand was,” Welch said. “And what’s amazing to me is that this has become the biggest point of contention in the farm bill.”
He said lawmakers are still undecided over funding for the federal food stamp program, referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Senate lawmakers are proposing a $4 billion cut over the course of 10 years, while the Republican-controlled House voted to slash $40 billion from the program last year.
“The Congress right now is to the detriment of solving problems, focused just on spending,” Welch said, referencing what he called an “ideological battle” at the forefront of the program’s debate.
3SquaresVT, the state branch of SNAP program, is a federally funded food benefits program that provides benefits to roughly 100,000 Vermonters.
He said the bill includes key provisions for Vermont, including disaster insurance for small vegetable growers, promotions for fruits and vegetables in school lunches, support for efficiency improvements in the maple sugar industry and support for organic farms and food.
The bill might also include an amendment to allow hemp to be grown for studies, he said. As for genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling, federal action is unlikely anytime soon, he said.
The farm bill is in a joint conference committee to iron out differences in the two versions. Welch said after speaking with top-ranking committee members, such as senior member Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a deal is close.
