Farm Bill Priorities

Floor Speech

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Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue calling attention to the need for Congress to pass a comprehensive 5-year farm bill that provides certainty to our agriculture producers while responding to market changes and strengthening the ag safety net.

My priorities for the next farm bill have not changed. It is in the best interests of our American farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers to authorize a farm bill that protects and strengthens crop insurance, incentivizes agriculture trade programs that help Americans remain competitive on the global stage, and conducts rigorous oversight and rolls back overly restrictive regulation and supports agriculture research and development.

Investing in agriculture research, and, particularly, animal health research, supports our Nation's food security and ultimately our national security.

This is especially true today as the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus spreads across wildlife, poultry, and dairy cattle around the country.

My staff and I remain in close contact with USDA regarding the spread, and we are grateful for USDA's efforts to control the outbreak. However, it emphasizes the reality that animal health often does not get the attention that it deserves.

Luckily, HPAI has no proven impact on our country's food supply, but we are starting to see the economic impact of this virus.

Last week, Colombia became the first country to restrict US beef imports coming from States where HPAI is present.

As of yesterday, at least 22 States had issued some restrictions on the importation of dairy cattle from affected States.

By actively investing in research of animal disease, we have the opportunity to allocate resources to the prevention rather than outbreak control.

These investments serve as a more cost-effective approach to protecting our Nation's food supply by limiting animal disease and outbreaks before they spread.

For years, Kansas has led the United States in supporting global food security initiatives. Just last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened a state-of-the-art National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas.

The facility will conduct research into serious animal disease threats and the potential impact of those diseases.

It is the only maximum biocontainment space in the country where USDA conducts comprehensive research, develops animal vaccines and antivirals, and explores diagnostic and training capabilities.

This facility is just down the street from my alma mater, Kansas State University, and their School of Veterinary Medicine and the Biosecurity Research Institute.

These institutions are the crown jewels of the animal health corridor, creating a scientific hub where world-renowned research happens, leading the world in agriculture research and health.

American farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers understand that to turn a profit, we must embrace the data of innovating, adapting, and increasing efficiency.

According to USDA, agriculture research returns $20 in benefits to the economy for every public dollar that is spent.

We save American tax dollars and the risk of disrupting our food supply chain when we adequately invest in agriculture and animal health research.

Despite this, Federal funding has declined in real dollars over the past two decades while other forms of research have increased.

If we continue down this path, we will not only hurt our agriculture producers but also American consumers, American food security, and, in turn, our national security.

We must ensure the farm bill addresses the risk to animal health and better positions us to invest in prevention rather than outbreak control.

Investing in animal health research bolsters the long-term availability of U.S. animal agriculture to be competitive in the global marketplace, provides consumers with safe, wholesome, and affordable food, and ensures agriculture thrives in America.

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