Senators propose a $250,000 ‘hard cap’ on farm subsidies
With the farm bill in mind, two Midwestern senators called for a “hard cap” of $250,000 in crop subsidies per farm, coupled with rules to limit the money to working farmers on Thursday. It would be an about-face in policy from recent years of easier access to USDA supports and emergency programs that paid up to $750,000 to corporate entities.
New Jersey law bans sow crates and veal-calf stalls
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law legislation banning sow crates and veal-calf stalls that severely restrict the movements of the animals in New Jersey, saying it would ensure humane farming practices. New Jersey is the 15th state to ban sow crates, veal stalls, or “battery” cages for egg-laying hens, said the Humane Society of the United States, which fought for the legislation for years.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
USDA-FDA bill is sidetracked: House Republicans were unable to bring the $198 billion USDA-FDA spending bill to the floor because of conservatives’ demands for billions of dollars in additional cuts and moderates’ opposition to banning over-the-counter sales of mifepristone. (Politico)
Hazard Alert for heat: The Labor Department will issue its first-ever Hazard Alert for heat, the No. 1 cause of weather-related deaths in the nation, and step up enforcement of heat-safety violations in high-risk industries such as agriculture and construction, said the White House. (White House)
Plea for Ukraine grain: Speaking after President Vladimir Putin said Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, could fill Africa’s needs, the chairman of the African Union said that with high food prices, the continent needed access to grain from Ukraine and Russia. (Washington Post)
Hottest month on Earth: The World Meteorological Organization and the EU’s Copernicus Institute said this month will be the hottest ever recorded and the Earth’s temperature temporarily passed the 1.5 degree C mark for warming since the start of the Industrial Age. (Associated Press)
Critique faults EATS Act: The so-called EATS Act, the livestock industry’s answer to California’s Proposition 12, could jeopardize more than 1,000 health, safety, and welfare laws on the state level and threaten states’ rights, said a report by a Harvard Law School group. (Food Safety News)
