More emphasis on food regulation at FDA, says expert panel
The Biden administration should restructure the FDA to give more prominence to federal regulation of the food supply, with steps that could include appointing a deputy commissioner for food or even splitting the FDA into two entities, one dealing with drugs and the other overseeing food, said a panel of experts on Tuesday.
As UN Biodiversity Conference opens, a plea for ‘a peace pact’ with nature
With 1 million species at risk of extinction, policymakers, scientists and activists gathered for the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal to hammer out a plan to begin reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Agriculture — considered the main driver of biodiversity loss — is key to the negotiations.
‘Enhance the farm safety net,’ says top Republican on House Ag
Congress should strengthen the crop insurance and farm subsidy programs so producers don’t have to rely on stop-gap federal aid to survive trade wars, natural disasters and the pandemic, the Republican leader on the House Agriculture Committee said on Tuesday. Other speakers during a webcast discussion said global warming requires the 2023 farm bill to be the most climate-friendly bill ever.
In California’s Central Valley, repurposing farmland could save communities
As the water crisis in California’s Central Valley intensifies, farmers are fallowing fields, slashing jobs and hemorrhaging money. But according to a study released this week, some rural towns might be better off abandoning agriculture entirely and repurposing farmland to create better-paying jobs, ease water usage, decrease pollution and preserve landowners’ revenue streams.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Warnock defeats Walker: Sen. Raphael Warnock, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the first Black senator from Georgia, won re-election by 1.6 percentage points over Trump-backed Republican Herschel Walker, giving Democrats a 51-seat Senate majority. (Georgia Secretary of State)
HPAI strikes 47th state: A backyard flock in Lawrence County in northwestern Alabama was infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza, making Alabama the 47th state to be hit by bird flu outbreaks that have killed 52.8 million birds in domestic flocks this year. (USDA)
‘Alarming shortfall of veterinarians’: Only 3-4 percent of veterinary school graduates go into food-animal practice, one-tenth of the rate of 40 years ago, potentially imperiling meat, dairy and poultry production, said a new report. (Farm Journal Foundation)
New biofuel tax credits: Biofuel groups urged the IRS to use an updated measurement of life-cycle costs when it decides if ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel and biomass diesel qualify for tax credits for clean-burning fuels that are part of the climate, healthcare and tax law. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Governor seeks Senate appointment: Nebraska governor-elect Jim Pillen is expected to appoint his predecessor and fellow Republican, Gov. Pete Ricketts, to the Senate in January to fill out the term of Sen. Ben Sasse, who will resign to become a college president. (Lincoln Journal Star)
