CONGRESSMAN
COLLIN C. PETERSON
Minnesota
- 7th District http://www.house.gov/collinpeterson/
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2002
CONTACT: Allison Myhre / 218-847-5056
Peterson
proposes national dairy compromise
(WASHINGTON,
DC) – During today’s Farm Bill Conference Committee session Congressman
Collin C. Peterson (D-7th District) offered a national dairy
compromise that would remove regional compacts and provide a safety net for
dairy farmers. Current Senate bill provisions would give payments to
northeast dairy farmers that are double what dairy farmers in the rest of
the country would get. Peterson’s
plan would give all dairy farmers equal payments and would be structured to
discourage overproduction.
“It’s
been tough, but we are making progress on a new Farm Bill.
When we started there were 675 differences between the Senate bill
and the House bill,” Peterson said. “We’ve
worked through 417 of those differences and we expect to continue working
right on through the weekend to finish the rest.”
Due to
uncertainty of disaster provisions in the Farm Bill Conference Committee,
Peterson introduced legislation in the full House that would provide $1.8
billion for crop loss assistance.
“It’s
been an uphill battle trying to get disaster aid for the areas in my
district that still need help from their 2001 losses,” Peterson said.
“Even if we cannot get disaster assistance into the Farm Bill, this
legislation is another way we can try to secure help for Minnesota’s
farmers who have been devastated by the weather.”
On
Wednesday, Peterson supported a House Motion to instruct Farm Bill conferees
to make Chapter 12 Bankruptcy a permanent provision in the bill.
The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of that motion.
“The
Chairman of the Conference Committee says that he wants to work day and
night throughout the week and even into this weekend to get this bill
finished. And while I do want
to see this get done, my main concern is that we get this done right.”
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