News

Forum focus is regulation of food and ag sectors

A senior advisor to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the USDA will be acting on President Trump’s executive order to review and reduce regulations.  Speaking at a Farm Foundation Forum in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, USDA Regulatory Reform Officer, Rebeckah Adcock said the agency is examining regulations that she says are out of date and need modernization.

“You will see that list of things for deregulation, readjusted regulation or streamlining, within USDA will be our initial focus; you will see that list grow exponentially over time,” Adcock told the forum audience.

The USDA is establishing an internal regulatory review task force made up of appointed representatives within mission areas who will look for regulations that, according to Adcock, are appropriate for de-listing.

Foundation Chairman Mark Scholl, who farms in central Illinois and was formerly in the agriculture chemical business, says regulations are needed, but he says they’ve been added at a rate that discourages the introduction of useful tools that could increase farm productivity.

Scholl said that in the late 1980s, it took about seven years to bring a new product to market, but now, because of regulatory issues, that same product could take 17 years to get to market.

“And when you start thinking about having a timeline of 17 years to get a product out,” Scholl told the audience, “that not only adds to the cost, but it adds to the mindset on innovation.”

AUDIO: Farm Foundation Forum, Wed., May 24, 2017 (1 hour, 47 min. MP3)