Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District questioned Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Wednesday about proposed cuts in the agency’s budget that could affect organic farmers.
The House Appropriations Committee is holding hearings on the Agriculture Department budget, and Pingree serves on the subcommittee that oversees agriculture. She told Perdue the agency should not decrease funding for programs that have helped organic farmers.
“We have to keep consumers confident in what goes into the organic brand. The Farm Bill proposes not reauthorizing the organic certification cost share program, that has been really critical in my state,” she said.
Pingree said a lot of growth is occurring in the field of organic fruits and vegetables and the department needs to protect the organic brand.
“I’m just very concerned about whether there are resources there, and honestly the level of support to make sure we have the resources to tackle issues around fraudulent imports, maintain the integrity of the organic label,” she said.
