Patty Murray: “this Farm Bill Conference Report represents a bold new direction for the future of this Nation's agricultural policy. A…”

“this Farm Bill Conference Report represents a bold new direction for the future of this Nation's agricultural policy. A direction I do not support. The removal of the safety net for our farmers will prove itself to be a mistake, I think. Undermining the safety net is easy now since prices are relatively high, but when prices drop, and we all know they will, I fear this farm bill may come back to haunt us. In fact, it may well come back regardless of prices. It may come back because of the so-called market-transition payments: guaranteed payments to farmers regardless of market conditions or production. I am truly afraid that the American public will not view these payments as a safety net to maintain a safe and stable food supply. They will view the payments as a give-away. Those of us who understand the importance of farm programs know better than to undermine farm support structures in this way. That is why we think the payments should continue to be tied to production and the marketplace. Many have expressed the sentiment that after the 7 years of Freedom to Farm, we will continue to maintain some kind of farm program. While the preservation of permanent agricultural law in the conference report provides some assurance that this will be the case, I am not so confident. The proponents of 'Freedom to Farm' have made it explicitly clear that they view the market transition payments as a transition to nothing.”