PIRG joins Rep. Earl Blumenauer for the introduction of his Food and Farm Act

PIRG joined Rep. Earl Blumenauer and a diverse coalition of groups representing causes from consumers, taxpayers and farmers to health, the environment and animal welfare, for the Congressman’s “Shift the Farm Bill: A Call for Reform” event on Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. At the event, the representative officially announced the re-introduction of his Food and Farm Act, a comprehensive alternative to the conventional Farm Bill that is up for reconsideration this year. Rep. Blumenauer contends that the current Farm Bill “pays too much to the wrong people to grow the wrong foods in the wrong places.”

PIRG endorsed the bill and applauded Congressman Blumenauer for championing consumer- and environmentally-friendly reforms to the Farm Bill. By eliminating the preferential treatment of commodity producers and factory farm livestock and poultry producers in farm support programs, reforming conservation programs to ensure that our tax dollars yield true environmental benefits, and investing in sustainable solutions to the massive problem of food waste, the Food and Farm Act promotes opportunities to support consumers, the environment and public health in our food system.