New House Bill addresses farm input costs & regulatory burdens

by | Jul 1, 2022 | 5 Ag Stories, News

A bill that supporters say would protect and promote American agriculture by reversing regulatory barriers to domestic production has been introduced to the House.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says the House Bill 8069, known as the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Production Act, would get the government out of the way of agriculture.

?We already have so many barriers to success right now with costs going up, the inability to secure necessary inputs and all the different problems and challenges that we?re facing in agriculture, government should not be one of those challenges.?

The Washington state Republican says the bill would be a huge help to agriculturalists.

?So, we?re trying to find ways where we can remove some of the red-tape requirements, make sure that we have the chemical tools that are so important to modern agriculture that they continue to be available. Reduce some of the proposed requirements that agencies are coming up with in this administration to start requiring farmers to perform.?

Newhouse says we?re heading in the wrong direction if nothing changes.

?Truly just advocating for solutions to return to a pro-growth economy. And we want this administration to reduce its harmful regulatory agenda.?

Newhouse notes that the global disruptions of essential food products are hitting everyone.

?Anybody that?s gone to the grocery store lately certainly knows that the price of food is going up. We need to be as responsive as we can to make sure that farmers are not unduly burdened as they try to move forward and produce the necessary food for our country.?

Feeding the world in the best way possible is what the bill would try and do says Newhouse.

?Expand the effort for small farms, for family farms, for the American agriculture industry in general and allow them to do what they do best is the best way that we can make sure the industry remains successful in this really challenging time and that farmers can do their part to help feed the world.?

Newhouse talks about the regulatory burdens are taking energy away from doing the work that farmers should be doing to be productive.