U.S. House Passes Ag-Only Farm Bill

Jul 11, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

In a close vote, the U.S. House passed an ag-only farm bill Thursday. For the first time, it cut out food aid, which left a standalone farm policy piece of legislation. The vote tally was 216-208.

The new House farm bill comes after the House turned down a five-year bill last month. A group of Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, as they hoped for deeper cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.

Republican leader’s strategy was to split the farm bill in two, to gain more conservative votes – dealing only with farm policy. Democrats fired back accusing the Republicans of turning the farm legislation into a partisan bill, which fails to protect America’s poor.

The Republican-controlled House defied a White House veto warning that was issued Wednesday. The Senate passed its own version of the farm bill earlier this month. Congress doesn’t have much time to pass a singular bill to garner the support of both houses of Congress. The 2008 farm bill extension ends Sept. 30th.

Video: Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Laya Alves from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, discusses how animal welfare regulations are evolving globally and their impact on pig production systems. She explains challenges in group housing, pain management, and euthanasia decisions, while highlighting the role of training and management in improving outcomes and economic sustainability. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Translating welfare requirements into daily farm routines without compromising economic sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by producers globally today."

Meet the guest: Dr. Laya Alves / laya-kannan is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on animal welfare in pig production, including pain management, euthanasia, and economic decision making. Her work integrates welfare science with practical farm management and sustainability. She collaborates globally to develop applied tools for producers.