CONGRESS APPROVES FINAL FY 2010 AG SPENDING LEGISLATION
News Date October 13, 2009
Last week, the House and Senate approved the conference report for the fiscal year 2010 spending bill for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, providing nearly 12% more funding than the previous year. The bill allows for nearly $83 billion in spending for nutrition programs, full funding for country of origin labeling for fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and other products, as well as, $ 1billion for conservation programs – an increase of more than $100 million over the fiscal year 2009 levels. The final report also rejected the president’s proposed cuts to the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. Other provisions in the bill include a $350 million relief package for dairy farmers, which will provide $290 million in direct payments and $60 million for cheese purchases, and a provision that could allow China to resume exporting poultry to the U.S. (By Ethan Mathews, Policy Contact: David Hickey)