September 14, 2012

Agriculture and Environmental Protection: The 2012 Farm Bill and Beyond

The 2012 Farm Bill, currently (September 2012) under consideration in Congress, has important implications for protection of the environment and public health—and is slated to introduce significant changes in the structure of farm subsidies programs. This national teleconference addressed a range of environmental and natural resource issues related to the new Farm Bill. Topics included: potential changes to working lands and land retirement conservation programs; the scope of compliance requirements under "sodbuster," "swampbuster," and other programs; organic food production incentives; and what the new legislation may mean for concentrated animal feeding operations.

ELI’s Research and Policy group has established a new Industrial Agriculture Law and Policy Center, which examines the impacts of agricultural production on human health and the environment. In June 2012, the program released its first report, Subsidies with Responsibilities: Placing Stewardship and Disclosure Conditions on Government Payments to Large-Scale Commodity Crop Operations. The report includes recommendations for fostering conservation through existing subsidies programs. A version of the report will be published in the Harvard Environmental Law Review in Spring 2013.

Speakers:
Linda Breggin, Senior Attorney, ELI (moderator)
Chris Adamo, Staff Director, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Scott Faber, Vice President for Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group
Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Director, Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation
Jason Weller, Acting Associate Chief for Conservation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Materials:
Scott Faber powerpoint
Jason Weller powerpoint
members may log on here to access the mp3 recording. [Please note that Mr. Adamo's participation is not a part of the posted recording per his request.]