NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. farm bill has moved one step further toward passage when the Senate voted 68-32 in favour Monday.
President Barack Obama is expected to sign the Agriculture Act of 2014.
While the new bill offers spending cuts and reformed farm safety nets, there were no changes to the mandatory country-of-origin labelling rule.
“We ended up with no change in COOL,” said political analyst Roger Bernard of Informa Economics.
Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack’s position has been to defend the rule before the World Trade Organization in Geneva starting Feb. 18, said Bernard at a National Cattlemen’s Beef Association session in Nashville Feb. 3.
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A decision on the rule published last year may not be released until this summer.
If the WTO rules against the rule published last May 24, it could be altered in a spending bill.
Legislators who do not like a policy can make changes by not funding its implementation.
Detailed spending bills for 13 government departments will be analyzed later this year. If there is disagreement there is a possibility the entire spending program would be rolled into an omnibus bill that covers a wide range of government activity.
The current farm bill act has been on the table since 2010. The final product is a 959 page document that ends direct payments for crops but offers a beefed up farm safety net package.
It also provides a permanent livestock disaster assistance program and strengthens conservation programs.
