Appeals court tells EPA to consider anew if glyphosate is carcinogenic
In a ruling hailed as a victory for farmworkers and monarch butterflies, the U.S. appellate court in San Francisco ruled the EPA lacked the evidence in 2020 to conclude that glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world, does not cause cancer. The court ordered the agency to take a new look at the risks to humans. The three-judge panel also said the EPA violated federal law by failing to consult with wildlife agencies on how to limit the impact of the herbicide on threatened and endangered species.
Middling support for helping farmers adopt sustainable practices
Americans agree that federal aid to farmers during a disaster is important. They are less likely to support federal assistance to help producers adopt sustainable farming practices, according to the quarterly Gardiner Food and Agricultural Policy Survey.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
WTO to slow overfishing: Trade ministers from around the world agreed to curb fishing subsidies and, it was hoped, to boost fish stocks. (BBC)
Maloney chairs ag subcommittee: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney succeeded fellow New York Democrat Antonio Delgado, now the lieutenant governor of New York, as chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit. (FERN’s Ag Insider)
Mondelez buys Clif Bar: Foodmaker Mondelez said it would buy organic snack company Clif Bar for $2.9 billion, creating a “global snack bar player with leading brands.” (Mondelez)
GOP tests environmental laws: Republican state attorneys general and conservative legal activists are sending a series of cases through the federal court system with the goal of rewriting environmental law and weakening the government’s power to act against global warming. (New York Times)
‘Act now’ on Western water: With the Interior Department warning that it may slash water availability from the Colorado River by 28 percent or more next year, the government is telling seven Western states to drastically reduce the amount of water they use in the next two months. (Los Angeles Times)
ON THE CALENDAR
Tuesday
First day of summer in the northern hemisphere, when the sun reaches its highest and northernmost points in the sky. The Old Farmers Almanac says the date of the solstice varies from June 20-22, because of the difference between the time needed for the earth to orbit the sun (365.25 days) and the Gregorian calendar, which divides the year into 365 days with a leap year every fourth year and “makes the date for summer jump backward.”
Runoff election in Georgia to decide the Republican nominee in House District 2, either real estate developer Chris West or political commentator Jeremy Hunt will run against Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop, chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee in charge of USDA and FDA funding.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Wednesday
Senate Agriculture Committee votes on S. 3870, to create a USDA special investigator to enforce fair-play laws in livestock processing, and S. 4030, to require meatpackers to buy a specified number of cattle through transactions that increase price transparency, 9:30 a.m. ET, 106 Dirksen.
House Agriculture Committee hearing, “A 2022 review of the farm bill: Dairy provisions,” 10 a.m. ET, 1300 Longworth.
U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai is lead witness at Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2023 funding for the agency, 9:30 a.m. ET, 192 Dirksen.
Interior Department and Sen. Jeff Merkley, Oregon Democrat, hold a summit on preserving the monarch butterfly, through Thursday, Washington. A “special announcement” was expected on Thursday of Interior Department efforts.
The International Dairy Foods Association holds the Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party for lawmakers and congressional staff workers. The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.
USDA releases “Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal 2021 annual report,” 3 p.m. ET.
Thursday
House Appropriations Committee votes on fiscal 2023 funding for the USDA, FDA and related agencies and for Veterans Affairs and military construction, 10 a.m. ET, 1100 Longworth.
House Education and Labor subcommittee hearing, “Examining the policies and priorities of the Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service,” 10:15 a.m. ET, 2175 Rayburn.
House Agriculture subcommittee hearing online, “The future of digital asset regulation,” 10:30 a.m. ET.
North American Millers Association holds 2022 Washington Policy Conference, Arlington, Virginia.
International Grains Council releases monthly Grain Market Report, London.
During a webinar, USDA economist Jordan Janes was scheduled to discuss the annual “Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape” report, 1 p.m. ET.
USDA releases monthly Cold Storage report, 3 p.m. ET.
Friday
House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis hearing, “Cutting methane pollution: Safeguarding health, creating jobs and protecting our climate,” 9 a.m. ET, 210 Cannon.
USDA releases monthly Food Price Outlook, 9 a.m. ET. For details, click here. At present, the USDA forecasts food prices will increase by an average of 7 percent compared to 2021. It would be the largest increase in 41 years.
USDA releases monthly Cattle on Feed report, 3 p.m. ET.
Saturday
House Agriculture Committee holds the first in a series of listening sessions, “A 2022 review of the farm bill: Perspectives from the field,” 1 p.m. ET, Coolidge, Arizona.
