Farm Bill needs stronger protections for taxpayers and the environment
WASHINGTON (Oct. 29, 2012) — As U.S. lawmakers prepare to complete work on the 2012 Farm Bill following the Nov. 6 election, a new paper from the R Street Institute makes the case that crop insurance and other agricultural subsidies must come with tough conservation compliance requirements to protect both taxpayers and the environment.
Authored by R Street President Eli Lehrer, the policy study argues that, while complete elimination of farm subsidies would be ideal, so long as they continue to be offered, the federal government must ensure they do not encourage needlessly risky agricultural practices or development of wetlands and highly erodible land.
One way to avoid such outcomes would be to make eligibility for federally subsidized crop insurance contingent on farmers complying with conservation requirements such as the Swampbuster and Sodbuster programs. Between 1984 and 1996, farmers who received subsidized crop insurance had to comply with these requirements to preserve wetlands and minimize soil erosion, but that link was abolished as part of the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act.
“Conservation compliance requirements protect the environment, shrink the size of government, and save money for taxpayers,” Lehrer said. “Quite simply, they’re a no-brainer that deserve a place in any farm bill.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., last week indicated that he was committed to bring a farm bill to the House floor during the expected lame duck session. Cantor also has not clarified whether he would support the Senate-passed Farm Bill, the one passed by the House Agriculture Committee, or a new measure altogether, potentially wrapped into a broader package intended to avert scheduled budget cuts and tax increases at the end of 2012.
R Street is a non-profit public policy research organization that supports free markets; limited, effective government; and responsible environmental stewardship. It has headquarters in Washington, D.C. and branch offices in Tallahassee, Fla.; Austin,Texas; and Columbus, Ohio. Its website is www.rstreet.org.
