Eva M. Clayton: “I urge a ``no'' vote on the Kolbe-Lowey amendment because it is indeed unfair. It is unfair because the peanut industry…”

“I urge a ``no'' vote on the Kolbe-Lowey amendment because it is indeed unfair. It is unfair because the peanut industry and agriculture has made an honest attempt, notwithstanding those who are not satisfied that we have not gone far enough in $678 to $610, a substantial reduction in what that forwards. Further, the Government's program is supposed to be a safety net, only used as a bottom line, not the ceiling. Now we are imposing a ceiling, and I also think this is now antimarket. This is unfair because, I want to say to the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey], ``You may not know who those farmers are, but I do know, and many of them are minority farms, many of them are low-income farms, because you can have a small lot of land and still farm.'' So this will have a disproportionate hardship on smaller farmers and minority farmers. By the way, to those who may not know, more minorities participate in farming of peanuts because it is relatively cheap to get into. They do not need as much land. So there is an opportunity here. This opportunity will be removed from those who have had that opportunity. I would urge a ``No'' vote on that.”