The bill was defeated by a vote of 234-195, after the majority of Democrats in the House voted against it in objection to its inclusion of cuts to food stamps for poor income families. A group of Republicans also rejected the bill for not making deep enough cuts to food stamps.
The defeat has reignited fears that it is unlikely a five-year bill will be passed before the current stop-gap law expires in September, leaving farmers uncertain about funding and support.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president Scott George said US cattle farmers were “extremely disappointed” by the failure of the House to recognise the importance of a full five-year farm bill.
“We were very close in this legislation to providing disaster programs for our producers, which would have extended disaster assistance for five years and would have covered losses in 2012 and 2013,” he said.
“These disaster programs are essential to equipping producers with the necessary tools to manage the risks associated with catastrophic weather events. After the historic drought which has plagued the countryside for the last few years, livestock producers needed these programs now more than ever.”
American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman also expressed disappointment over the defeat of the bill. “It was a balanced bill that would have provided much-needed risk management tools and a viable economic safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers,” he said.
“A completed farm bill is much-needed to provide farmers and ranchers certainty for the coming years and to allow the Agriculture Department to plan for an orderly implementation of the bill’s provisions.”