Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment as well.

While we all share the desire to get rid of the fraud, waste and abuse, I think we've reached a delicate balance in the committee with the language that we've done here.

This is a competitive grant process. It will improve direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. I think it's very valuable for our small farmers and our small communities.

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Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition of this amendment. This current farm bill, the olive oil provision, will simply require that both domestic and imported olive oil will be subject to the same labeling requirements. Let me restate that: the same labeling requirements for domestic and imported olive oil. Americans deserve to know that the product that is advertised on the label is the product that they are buying when they are pulling it off the shelf.

As the gentleman from New York stated, it is spot-checked right now. Less than 5 percent of the 98 percent of the oil sold in this country is actually checked as to whether or not it is labeled accurately.

U.S. growers and ethical importers have a strong interest in developing this program of cost-effective solutions since you are saving high-quality standards for the consumer.

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Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. The underlying language of the farm bill simply provides this industry the same opportunity that many other industries have been provided through the checkoff.

I share a similar concern with the gentleman who has the amendment. Commerce or the Interior might have been an appropriate place to put this, other than they simply don't have the infrastructure to handle such a program. The infrastructure is already there at the USDA. There are other examples of products outside of agriculture that have been handled there.

It simply gives the U.S. stone industry the opportunity to come together with a voluntary payment to support a marketing program to help their industry. Again, it is voluntary. A ``tax,'' by definition, is an involuntary payment to support the government. This is a voluntary payment to support an industry.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, the industry has simply asked for chance to participate in a no-cost-to-the-taxpayer, voluntary program in which they can use that to help promote their product. I as a conservative think that this is good for some of our small business owners, and I respectfully ask that we oppose the amendment.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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