Congress passed The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 nearly a month ago but due to a clerical error had to re-vote on the bill. As expected, the president vetoed the legislation today.

“It’s taken a long time but today’s vote brings a conclusion to the 2008 Farm Bill in the House, with all of the bill’s provisions becoming law,” NFU President Tom Buis said. “I would hope the Senate follows suit immediately so we can finally, finally get this legislation enacted into law.”

“The recent and ongoing flooding across the Midwest has shown us all the devastating effects Mother Nature can have on agriculture. The disaster program will provide a helping hand to our nation’s food and fiber producers in their time of need,” Buis said. “We would urge the department of agriculture to prioritize implementation of this important program to help all the victims of recent weather-related disasters.”

Buis said another significant farm bill provision is mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL). “We’ve recently seen restaurants pull tomatoes off the menu and grocery stores remove them from the shelves after people across the country fell ill from eating contaminated tomatoes. Yet, nearly two weeks after the fact, we still don’t know where these products came from. COOL will provide consumers information on their food’s source and play a vital role in our nation’s food safety programs.”

Further Reading

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Go to our previous news item on the Midwest floods by clicking here.