Kirsten Gillibrand United States Senator for New York

"New York is home to the hardest working farm families and the finest locally-grown produce in the world, but the high costs of fuel, feed and labor have strained our farmers and farming communities across the state. If we’re going to rebuild this economy, we need to keep families on their farms and support agricultural industries so they can thrive.” - Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator

As the first New Yorker to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, Senator Gillibrand is focused on a broad range of agricultural issues important to New York, including access to financing, new market opportunities, assistance for dairy farms and specialty crops, and investments in renewable energy. She worked hard to give New Yorkers a voice in the 2012 and 2013 Farm Bills.

Supporting New York's Dairy Farmers

In past years, price volatility has been destructive to dairy producers. Monthly cheese stock data, produced by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), report the inventories of natural American-type cheeses were lower than had actually been reported the previous year. These inventory reports affect milk prices by influencing cheese markets – markets exaggerate, on both the up and the down turns, as market concerns during a global recession result in extremely cautious trades. However, cold storage facilities are currently not required to report their inventories of dairy products to NASS, and only do so on a voluntary basis, creating an environment of volatility and uncertainty for dairy trading.

Senator Gillibrand introduced legislation, which was included into the Senate Farm Bill, that would make reporting to the NASS Cold Storage Report mandatory, and would give the USDA the authority to audit warehouse inventories to help bring more stability to dairy trading prices.

In addition, dairy farmers have relied on the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program to help make ends meet when prices are low. Senator Gillibrand’s amendment, which was included in the Senate Farm Bill, would extend MILC at its current levels (45 percent) when the hundredweight price of milk falls below $16.74 until 2013, when the new margin insurance program becomes functional.

Finally, to provide more transparency into dairy cooperatives, and arm dairy farmers with more of the information they need to thrive, Senator Gillibrand introduced the Democracy for Dairy Producers Act, which was included in the Senate Farm Bill. The legislation would require greater transparency in the amendment process under the Federal Milk Marketing Orders by requiring each region to provide information regarding proposed amendments and the process by which individual farmers can cast a vote.

Protecting Specialty Crop Producers From Disaster

For years, crop insurance has met the needs of commodity producers, such as the corn and wheat growers, without equal protection for fruit and vegetable farmers. In the wake of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Superstorm Sandy, New York farms were devastated, and the current insurance system did not meet their needs. Senator Gillibrand authored the Specialty Crop Insurance Enhancement Act to ensure specialty crop farmers have an insurance program that works so they can continue to provide fresh, wholesome food to families.

Bolstering Community-Supported Agriculture

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) directly connects consumers with the farmers who grow their food. At the beginning of each growing season, members of CSAs pay for a share of a farm’s produce. Throughout the season, members receive boxes containing their share of the farm’s yield. There are more than 12,000 CSA farms currently operating within the U.S. and approximately 350 in New York.

Senator Gillibrand’s Community Supported Agriculture Promotion Act, which was included in the Senate Farm Bill, would establish a competitive grant program to award federal funds to non-profit organizations, extension services, and state and local government agencies to provide grower support – ranging from marketing and business assistance to crop development – to new or current CSA farmers. These grants would also assist in the development of innovative delivery and distribution programs. These efforts can help attract more consumers to CSA, facilitate the formation of multi-farm CSA arrangements, and promote participation in CSA through outreach and education activities. Preference would be given to projects working with family farms, farms operated by or employing veterans – a provision authored by Senator Gillibrand – and those that expand CSA reach into food deserts.

Connecting Fresh Produce With New Markets

More than 25 million people live in areas known as “food deserts.” These areas, which are out of reach of a supermarket, are particularly common in communities of color, low income communities, and rural areas. Food deserts limit families’ access to fresh, nutritious foods that are essential to leading healthy lives, and block the economic benefits local supermarkets bring to a community, such as jobs and associated retail.

Senator Gillibrand authored the Healthy Food Financing Initiative Act, which was included in the Senate Farm Bill, to help bring more grocery stores, farmers markets, food cooperatives and other options to unsderserved communities. The Senator’s bill would provide one-time start-up grants and affordable loan financing in order to incentivize the construction of markets in these areas. The legislation would set eligibility requirements for funding projects that would expand the current markets to minority and women-owned businesses. It would also increase competition by providing wages and benefits equal to or better than that of comparable businesses in the same area. The bill also includes local hiring agreements, which will help create and save hundreds and thousands of jobs.

Protecting New York's Honey Producers

Prior to the 2012 Farm Bill debate, Senator Gillibrand called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a standard identity for honey to protect domestic producers from deceptive manufacturing practices by foreign companies. New York produces some of the nation’s finest honey and in order to protect the viability of the American honey industry as well as consumer welfare, it is absolutely imperative for the FDA to take immediate action to adopt a standard of identity for honey. Senator Gillibrand secured an amendment in the Senate Farm Bill to implement this standard identity for honey.

Improving The Safety Net For New York Farmers

Senator Gillibrand co-sponsored an amendment that was included in the Senate Agriculture Committee version of the Farm Bill, which improves the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance program (NAP)—a program for farmers who are not eligible for or have been unable to buy a specific policy. NAP provides assistance for the loss of non-insurable crops, often fruits and vegetables, at a catastrophic level of coverage. Unfortunately, NAP, in its current form, is often inadequate, resulting in producers’ farming without an insurance plan. This legislation would expand the coverage farmers can buy with the NAP program and help New York farmers by significantly improving their safety-net.

Boosting Funds For Emergency Food

With more than 700,000 New Yorkers living in poverty, Senator Gillibrand called for more federal funding for the nation’s food stamp and emergency food programs to aid families and underserved communities. For many families trying to survive on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), their benefits only last until the third week of the month while many soup kitchens and food pantries continue to experience chronic food shortages. Senator Gillibrand proposed an increase in SNAP benefit levels under the Farm Bill, which would increase mandatory funding for the Emergency Food Assistant Program (TEFAP), and would index the program based on need, which is crucial to keep food pantries and soup kitchens from running out of meals for hungry children and communities.

Keeping USDA Offices Open For Business

With four USDA offices across New York State facing closure, Senator Gillibrand co-sponsored an amendment to the Farm Bill and wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to keep New York’s USDA offices open and available to the agriculture communities. The USDA offices that are scheduled to close would result in decreased access to agricultural credit for farmers. Recent disasters in New York have disproportionately impacted local farmers. Additionally, the damage caused by severe winter storms, blizzards, heavy rains, extreme flooding, tornadoes, and straight-line winds has resulted in the destruction of farmlands and buildings, all of which means farms need help to repair and prepare for next year’s crop.

Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act

In December 2010, the President signed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act into law, which included many of Senator Gillibrand’s priorities. She fought hard to increase the reimbursement of free school lunches by six cents, the first real increase since the 1970’s. The law establishes national nutritional standards on all foods served in schools not reimbursed by the school meal program. This helps ensure that schools observe nutrition standards consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for all non-reimbursable food served in the school. These standards have not been updated since the Carter Administration. In addition, the law makes foster children categorically eligible for free school meal service.

The law also includes $50 million for the farm-to-school initiative, which connects schools with locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables and value-added products like pre-sliced apples and carrots. It includes a provision to help ensure the safety of school meals by improving the system for notifying schools when food has been recalled.

Adequate Food Safety Inspections In Poultry Plants

The USDA has proposed changes to poultry inspection, called HACCP-based Inspection Models Project (HIMP), which allows plant personnel, rather than USDA Inspectors, to initially determine which animals or parts are unacceptable and removed from the production line.

With an estimated 48 million foodborne illnesses occurring each year in the United States, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, Senator Gillibrand urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reconsider expanding the USDA pilot program.

Senator Gillibrand recognizes that the USDA, along with the poultry industry, strives to ensure the food we consume is safe. However, given the growing number of foodborne illness outbreaks, she does not believe USDA should yield inspection responsibilities to plant personnel that have an inherent conflict of interest unless HIMP can be independently verified to be safe and effective. Senator Gillibrand has requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report and has urged the Agriculture Secretary to allow for such a study prior to expanding HIMP to the majority of poultry processing facilities in the United States.

Food Free From Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in the U.S. and Senator Gillibrand is committed to protecting the public’s health from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, so-called ‘superbugs.’ Approximately 80 percent of all antibiotics distributed in the country are used in food-producing animals. Senator Gillibrand supports increasing the Food & Drug Administration’s authority to restrict non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics critical for human health in food animals. The Senator continues to urge Commissioner Hamburg of the FDA to finalize draft policies which would ultimately remove the inappropriate use of medically important antibiotics in food animals and would require veterinary oversight for these drugs. The Senator supports a science based approach that allows farmers to transition to new practices and that protect humans and animals both from the antibiotic resistant superbugs. Senator Gillibrand also supports increased research to reduce antimicrobial resistance, improve animal health, and improve human health. The Senator has sponsored a bipartisan bill to increase data collection to study antimicrobial use and resistance, and has continued to fight to increase funding for research on this topic.

Implementing The Food Safety Modernization Act

Senator Gillibrand championed The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that was signed into law by the President in January 2011. This legislation represents a monumental shift in our approach to food safety by transitioning from a system that typically reacts to food safety concerns to one that targets prevention. Responsibility for enforcing America's food safety measures is shared by 15 federal agencies -- with the FDA and the USDA responsible for the bulk of the oversight. However, The FSMA only has jurisdiction over the FDA, but not the USDA, which is why Senator Gillibrand has introduced the Safe Meat and Poultry Act. These agencies are often limited to reactive regulations once outbreaks have already begun instead of preventing contaminations from spreading. This reactive approach, rather than being pro-active, risks the safety of our food and the health of millions. Senator Gillibrand’s plan to improve food safety will streamline and strengthen regulations at the USDA and FDA. Senator Gillibrand's efforts will also alter the fundamental approach to food safety by focusing on prevention to catch food-borne illnesses, and more quickly prevent further illness when an outbreak is detected.

In addition, she has fought to deliver increased funding to the FDA, and to ensure new public health protections are implemented in a timely fashion. This includes a requirement to increase consumer notification of recalled food which she successfully got included in this new food safety law. Senator Gillibrand has introduced legislation to modernize food safety programs at USDA, including creating new performance standards to reduce pathogens in meat and poultry products. Senator Gillibrand believes reducing foodborne illness is critical to improve public health, reduce healthcare costs, and support a safe and sustainable domestic agriculture industry.

Protecting Our Food Supply By Testing For Dangerous Pathogens

While E. coli O157:H7 is widely considered the most dangerous E. coli affecting beef, there are additional strains of non-O157 Shiga Toxin Escherichia coli (STECs) that have resulted in significant foodborne illness disease outbreaks. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the number of non-O157 STEC infections has surpassed the number of cases of E. coli O157:H7. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is charged with keeping meat and poultry safe. At Senator Gillibrand’s urging, FSIS has proposed testing for these additional STECs in certain raw beef products. Senator Gillibrand called on FSIS to implement this new testing as soon as possible in order to protect the food supply.

Senator Gillibrand has written numerous letters to the USDA’s regarding their proposed new poultry inspection system that shifts food safety tasks to private plant employees. Given the lack of progress in reducing illness due to major pathogens like Salmonella, she does not believe USDA should yield inspection responsibilities unless the proposed system can be independently verified to be safe and effective. Senator Gillibrand has requested two Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports to study the new proposed system, as well as ways to effectively reduce the incidence of Salmonella, and has urged the Secretary of Agriculture to delay finalizing a new system until these studies are complete.