Orrin Hatch: “My vote on this farm bill was a difficult one. Certainly, opposition to this bill is justified. There are simply too…”

“My vote on this farm bill was a difficult one. Certainly, opposition to this bill is justified. There are simply too many subsidies in this bill, there are Davis-Bacon provisions that I strongly oppose, and I believe that some provisions may violate our trade agreements. To express my frustration with the negative aspects of the bill, I chose to support the procedural obstacles leading up to the vote on the bill itself. However, in response to very strong support for the farm bill from the preponderance of agricultural interests in my State, and to the fact that the farm bill has some provisions that are very important to me, I chose to vote in favor of the legislation. I would like to say a few words about a provision in the bill which I sponsored and promoted for over a decade. The provision lifts the ban on the interstate distribution of State-inspected meat.”