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Church World Service statement on the Farm Bill

May 21, 2008

NEW YORK--Our lawmakers in Washington are sending President Bush a Farm Bill that he's already threatened to veto. Enough of them support the bill that Congress will probably override this veto and enact the legislation

Some people like the bill. Church World Service doesn't, because it only fixes part of what is wrong with the nation's food policy. It leaves intact an unjust system that harms family farmers here and abroad and undermines food security in developing countries.

The bulk of the spending in the bill--estimated to cost $300 to $325 billion over the next five years--goes to improve nutrition programs like food stamps, school meals, and elderly food assistance. That's good.

Church World Service has spent several years now advocating for a food bill that actually helps feed the people who need it most.

Another chunk of money goes to perpetuate, at least for the next five years, subsidies that primarily benefit huge agricultural businesses. That's bad.

As Church World Service has said in its ongoing advocacy campaign, it is not the corporate agri-businesses that need help from the government. It is small-holder American farmers struggling to survive.

And it is small-holder farmers abroad who are finding it impossible to make a living because they can’t price their own locally-grown produce low enough to compete with the U.S. government-subsidized produce exported to their countries.

This has helped undermine agriculture in some developing countries, contributing to the current food crisis.

"Our vision for the farm bill is embodied in the title of our campaign, Sow Justice," says Church World Service Executive Director and CEO John L. McCullough.

"We are sad to say that the bill sent out of Congress is sorely lacking in justice for a substantial number of people--small-holder farmers, their families, and the rural communities in which they live--here in the United States and in developing countries around the world.

"This legislation was far from the best effort our lawmakers could have made this year. CWS will not stop advocating to reshape this nation’s food policy until we are assured that it is not just a policy but a policy rooted in justice."

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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