Byron Dorgan: “Today, along with Senators Baucus, Burns, Daschle, Johnson, and Conrad, I am introducing legislation that would provide…”

“Today, along with Senators Baucus, Burns, Daschle, Johnson, and Conrad, I am introducing legislation that would provide equitable treatment for U.S. farmers in the pricing of agricultural pesticides. This legislation would allow a state, a person, or a farm organization or cooperative/farm supply company to serve as a registrant for a Canadian pesticide which is identical or substantially similar to a U.S. registered pesticide. This bill is identical to the legislation I introduced last September. The need for this legislation is as great as ever. We are about to start spring planting, and U.S. farmers are once again going to be required to pay more--in some cases almost twice as much--than their Canadian counterparts for crop protection products that are virtually identical in substance. I have pointed out in the past that when the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement came into effect, part of the understanding on agriculture was that our two nations were going to move rapidly toward the harmonization of pesticide regulations. However, we have entered a new decade, and century, no less, and relatively little progress in harmonization has been accomplished that is meaningful to family farmers.”