{"id":41916,"date":"2026-06-24T00:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=41916"},"modified":"2026-06-28T15:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T19:49:57","slug":"senate-gop-farm-bill-tees-up-fight-over-protections-in-agriculture-the-environment-and-food-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2026\/06\/senate-gop-farm-bill-tees-up-fight-over-protections-in-agriculture-the-environment-and-food-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate GOP Farm Bill Tees Up Fight Over Protections in Agriculture, the Environment, and Food Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, June 24, 2026)\u00a0Yesterday, Senator Boozman (R-AK), chair of the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Nutrition Committee, released the Senate GOP Farm Bill<\/a>, the Agricultural Act of 2026, <\/em>with provisions that undermine public and environmental health, according to farm, farmworker, and environmental advocates. Rather than investing sufficiently in organic agriculture and supporting farmers\u2019 transition to nontoxic practices\u2014in response to health, biodiversity, and climate crises, as well as the high cost of synthetic fertilizers\u2014the bill reduces oversight of organic production by loosening inspection and certification requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bill, drafted without input from Senate Democrats, redefines underlying statutory standards, increasing dependency on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture at a time when we urgently need to shift to sustainable and cost-effective agricultural and land management practices,\u201d said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, a national public interest group representing farmers, consumers, and environmentalists. \u201cWe are facing health and environmental crises, demanding leadership\u2014not exhibited in this Republican Farm Bill\u2014that ensures a livable future,\u201d Mr. Feldman said.<\/p>\n

The text is largely the same as the version passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in April, the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 <\/em>(H.R. 7567). The House vote made history when 73 Republicans joined the majority of the Democratic caucus to strip out a pesticide manufacturers\u2019 liability shield (Sections 10205), federal preemption of state and local pesticide laws (Section 10206), and the weakening of bedrock environmental law and their ability to regulate pesticides (Section 10207). [A decision is expected this week or next in a case before the Supreme Court, Monsanto v. Durnell<\/em>, in which Bayer\/Monsanto argues that they have no responsibility under pesticide law to have warned on their product labels those who have been harmed by product use.]<\/p>\n

The Senate GOP Farm bill will adversely affect a wide range of social and conservation issues, including the protection of family farms, food security, and environmental and public health, according to a cross-section of groups representing these interests. Overall, critics say, the Republican bill increases dependency of petrochemical fertilizers (which contribute to escalating toxic pesticide use), ignores hunger (despite a historically large $186 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program\/SNAP), dismisses the notion of a fair, responsible, and accessible family farm safety net, and rolls back successful conservation investments. A markup on Senate Farm Bill is expected before the Senate\u2019s August recess.<\/p>\n

Poison Pill Provisions in Senate GOP Bill<\/strong><\/p>\n

Subtitle B of Title X<\/strong>, entitled Regulatory Reform, contains the following provisions that weaken the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), undermine environmental protections, and threaten the health of farmers, farmworkers, and consumers.<\/p>\n