Farm Bill Provision Would Actually Imperil Health of Farm Communities

The House Agriculture Committee introduced the 2018 Farm Bill today, with provisions gutting Endangered Species Act to weaken pesticide protections.  Debate on this year’s bill is expected to continue for weeks.   

Following is reaction from Rebecca Riley, Senior Attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

“Attacking the Endangered Species Act, which protects farming communities from dangerous chemical exposures, is the exact opposite of what the Farm Bill is supposed to do. Farmers are on the front lines of exposure to dangerous chemicals—they need more protections not less. 

Let the farm bill be the farm bill and get it passed without this provision that actually threatens the communities it is supposed to protect.”

###

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.