| (18 April 2002 -- Washington)
Environmental Defense today praised a U.S. House vote to support
limits on farm subsidy payments to the nation's largest farms and
greater funding for voluntary conservation and research programs.
The House passed by a 265 to 158 margin a motion to instruct farm
bill negotiators to limit annual feed grain, rice and cotton
subsidies to $225,000 per farmer, and to shift $1.3 billion to U.S.
Department of Agriculture conservation and research programs.
The motion was championed by Reps. Nick Smith (R-MI), David
Bonior (D-MI), and Ron Kind (D-WI).
House and Senate negotiators are completing a $173 billion farm
bill.
"This vote reveals that the House of Representatives
overwhelmingly supports a Farm Bill that helps small farmers and the
environment, and that members of Congress are frustrated by the
direction farm bill negotiators have taken," said Environmental
Defense spokesman Scott Faber. "Only conservation payments flow to
all farmers and all regions, but less than 20% of the funds in the
proposed farm bill would flow to these programs. As currently
proposed, most farm bill funds would continue to flow to the largest
farms in 15 states."
The Senate approved $21.3 billion in new conservation spending,
but House and Senate negotiators recently agreed to include only
$17.1 billion for conservation.
### Environmental Defense, a leading national
nonprofit organization based in New York, represents more than
300,000 members. Since 1967 we have linked science, economics, and
law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to
the most urgent environmental problems.
www.environmentaldefense.org | 
