New Farm Bill focuses on pests, BMP

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture forwarded Farm Bill recommendations to the House Agriculture Committee earlier this summer. Several proposals directly affect the nursery industry. The subcommittee is chaired by Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif.

The full Agriculture Committee was scheduled to debate the draft bill in late June.

The committee restored responsibility for border inspection of imported plants to USDA and away from Homeland Security.

The committee called for the expansion of the specialty crop block grant program and established new tools and programs to address plant pests and diseases.

Other approved amendments include:

* Establish the National Clean Plant network to fund the distribution of healthy plant stocks in the specialty crops industry.

* Amend the Tree Assistance Program so that nursery and Christmas trees are eligible for compensation. Increase the payment cap under the program from $75,000 per year up to $150,000 per year.

* Create a grant program for the development of best management practices.

* Establish the Threat Identification and Mitigation Program within the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Many of the policies addressed by the subcommittee focused on plant pest issues and the need for the Farm Bill to “adequately address this key policy area,” according to American Nursery & Landscape Association.

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For more: Dennis Cardoza, (202) 225-6131; www.house.gov/cardoza. ANLA, (202) 789-2900; www.anla.org.