{"id":41916,"date":"2026-06-23T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T10:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=41916"},"modified":"2026-06-23T18:05:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:05:50","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 23, 2026) Today, Senator Boozman (R-AK), chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Committee, released the <\/span>Senate GOP\u00a0Farm Bill<\/span><\/a>, the Agricultural Act of 2026<\/em><\/span>, with provisions that undermine public and environmental health, according to farm, farmworker, and environmental advocates. The bill, drafted without input from Senate Democrats, redefines underlying standards and practices to increase dependency on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture. Rather than investing 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. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/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 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 (Section 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, <\/span>Monsanto v. Durnell<\/span><\/i>, in which Bayer\/Monsanto argues that\u00a0they have no responsibility\u00a0under pesticide law\u00a0to\u00a0have\u00a0warned\u00a0on\u00a0their\u00a0product labels\u00a0those who have been harmed by product use.]<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/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 on 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 the Senate Farm Bill is expected before the Senate\u2019s August recess.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Poison Pill Provisions\u00a0in Senate\u00a0GOP\u00a0Bill<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Subtitle C, Part 1, of Title X<\/span><\/b>, 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. <\/span><\/p>\n