Pine Bush, NY -- The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture today applauded the inclusion of the groundbreaking new Conservation Security Program in the farm bill just passed by the House, which is a new incentives program to reward all kinds of farmers for stewardship on working farmlands. However, they expressed deep disappointment over the transformation of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program into a major subsidy for the biggest factory livestock operations. The National Campaign also expressed its disappointment that conservation funding was eliminated both for education and outreach for socially disadvantaged and limited resource farmers, and for conservation program monitoring and evaluation.

"The Conservation Security Program came up from the grassroots, rather than down from the ivory towers within the beltway," said Kathy Lawrence, Executive Director of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture.

"For the last three years the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture coordinated the development of this policy among grassroots organizations throughout the nation, providing input and support to Senator Harkin, who championed the program from the beginning. We are very proud of this outstanding accomplishment by the sustainable agriculture movement."

"The Conservation Security Program is not only the biggest new program in the farm bill. It is also the single biggest victory for our nation's family farms and ranches, and the environment in an otherwise extremely disappointing bill."

"The Conservation Security Program is a major step forward in conservation programs because it rewards good stewardship of farm and ranch land in active production," said Lawrence. "This new program has very high conservation standards and goals, and takes the approach that the best way to protect the environment is to prevent problems in the first place."

The Conservation Security Program is also the first conservation program to be on par with commodity programs in terms of participation. "As an entitlement program, if a farmer or rancher meets the requirements of the program, she or he can participate. Limited funding for other conservation programs has resulted in participation backlogs. This program will be available to virtually all types of farmers and ranchers throughout the country and is based on their practices, not what types of crops or livestock they are producing," said Lawrence.

The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is very concerned about the transformation of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) into a major subsidy mechanism for large factory livestock operations. Livestock industry giants fought hard not only to overturn the current prohibition against spending EQIP funds for large feedlots, but also magnified the problem by throwing at the program an additional one billion dollars annually."

"One of the first things children are taught is to clean up after themselves. If big industry insists on producing poultry and livestock in large confinement operations, they should pick up the tab for creating their own mess, not the taxpayer," said Lawrence "And they should quit whining about rules and regulations that keep their mess out of our water."

The National Campaign is concerned about what this new subsidy means for family livestock operations. "The farm bill conferees rejected the ban against meatpacker ownership of livestock, and important contract agriculture reforms to give farmers rights in their relationship with big industry. By now subsidizing the waste management costs of big poultry, pork and beef it is clear that their allegiances lie with the few in corporate boardrooms, rather than the many in farm and ranch communities. This is a bad deal for America."

The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture also expressed outrage over the last minute elimination of spending on conservation outreach and education for socially disadvantaged, limited resource and beginning farmers and ranchers, and funding to monitor and evaluate the performance of conservation programs. These provisions, funded at $10 million annually, were eliminated to make up for a $100 million budget overrun.

"That $100 million should have come out of the now-compromised EQIP program," said Lawrence. "The conferees have chosen not to increase participation in conservation programs by the most disenfranchised farmers and ranchers, and they have chosen not to fund efforts to evaluate how well conservation programs are performing."

"During the farm bill debates it was clear that some Senators and Representatives did not understand who socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers are. The conferees appear to be out of touch with these important constituents in their respective states and districts," said Lawrence.

The National Campaign For Sustainable Agriculture, Inc. is dedicated to educating the public on the importance of a sustainable food and agriculture system that is economically viable, environmentally sound, socially just, and humane.

This is the second in a series of Farm Bill position statements the National Campaign will be releasing over the next week.