DeLauro Discusses Budget Proposal With Department Of Agriculture Officials
Statement
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) discussed issues affecting the public health and the viability of American agriculture with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Ed Avalos and other USDA officials today. Issues ranged from food safety to impending trade agreements and other issues impacting Connecticut and the nation.
During the question and answer period, DeLauro engaged with Under Secretary Avalos and Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, on the impact the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could have on food safety.
"As I told Secretary Vilsack on Tuesday, I have concerns about the TPP agreement currently being negotiated, and we talked about the new binding dispute resolution process in particular. Based on your written testimony and response to my questions, it sounds like we already have a system that meets our trade goals and enables scientists and technical experts to work through issues directly. The proposed binding dispute resolution presents a clear risk to the substance of our food safety standards, and also the animal and plant health standards that are critical to the productivity of American agriculture. Trade and exports are important, but should not trump public health."
Later in the questioning, DeLauro spoke about the importance of the recently-closed Microbiological Data Program (MDP). MDP collected data on potential contamination of certain kinds of produce, helping protect consumers from foodborne illness. In 2011, this small program performed over 35,000 tests on more than 17,400 produce samples.
"I continue to disagree with the Administration's decision to end the Microbiological Data Program. This small program collected a wealth of data on microbial contamination of produce and it is unacceptable to lose this imperative information. This is not a duplicative or wasteful programs -- without this program, the data is simply not being collected."
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