The U.S. Food Industry Is Giving Cory Booker An Upset Stomach

NEWARK, NJ — What do the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine and several recent “climate change-related disasters” have in common? They all show how fragile a "broken" food system is in the United States, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey says.

On Thursday, Booker reintroduced a package of proposed laws that shoot for sweeping reforms in the nation’s agriculture sector: the Farm System Reform Act, the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act, the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act, and the Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act.

Booker, a Newark resident, serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. One of the most well-known vegans in the state, he hasn’t been shy about pushing for a complete paradigm shift when it comes to how America is fed.

• Read More: Time To Fix A 'Broken' U.S. Farm System, Cory Booker Says
• Read More: Sen. Cory Booker Continues His Beef With The Beef Industry
• Read More: From Poop To Power; Sen. Booker Tells Feds To Rethink 'Biogas' Plans

For his latest legislative push, Booker has enlisted some support from his fellow Democrats in Congress. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced the House companion of the Farm System Reform Act and Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act, and U.S. representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the House companions of the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and recent climate change-related disasters have highlighted how fragile our current food system is,” Booker said.

“I'm excited to re-introduce a package of bills that would help mold our food system into one that is more competitive, resilient, humane and just for everyone,” he continued. “I'm eager to work with my colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee to make meaningful progress on these issues, because the status quo created by agribusiness special interests is putting all of us at risk.”

Here are some key details about each bill, according to Booker’s office.

FARM SYSTEM REFORM ACT

WHAT WOULD IT DO? - “This legislation would, among other things, strengthen the Packers & Stockyards Act to crack down on the monopolistic practices of meatpackers and corporate integrators, place a moratorium on large factory farms, sometimes referred to as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements. This bill also follows President Biden’s executive order promoting competition in the marketplace, which is an important first step toward restoring fairness for independent family farmers and ranchers.”

The text of the bill can be found here. The list of endorsements from the 117th Congress can be viewed here.

INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

WHAT WOULD IT DO? - “This legislation would place the liability for responsible disaster mitigation on corporations and industrial operators by requiring those entities to register with USDA and submit disaster preparedness plans. The legislation would also ensure that industrial operators aren’t using inhumane methods in other aspects of the food system by ending line-speed increases and meatpacker self-inspection programs for animal slaughter, closing regulatory loopholes to prohibit the slaughter of all downed animals, and requiring more humane treatment of livestock transported for long periods.”

The text of the bill can be found here. This year’s endorsement list can be found here.

PROTECTING AMERICA'S MEATPACKING WORKERS ACT

WHAT WOULD IT DO? – “This legislation would provide protections for meatpacking workers along with systemic reforms such as creating a fair market that allows independent farmers, ranchers and robust local food systems to thrive and ensuring that consumers can actually identify where their food comes from so that food giants cannot simply shift the burden of their unfair system to others in the supply chain or import more unsustainable meat from other parts of the world.”

The text of the bill can be found here. The endorsement list from the 117th Congress can be viewed here.

PROTECT AMERICA'S CHILDREN FROM TOXIC PESTICIDES ACT

WHAT WOULD IT DO? – “This legislation would remove dangerous pesticides within our farm system. Specifically, this legislation would update the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 (FIFRA) by banning the most damaging pesticides that have been scientifically proven to harm the safety of people and our environment.”

The text of the bill can be found here. The endorsement list from the 117th Congress can be viewed here.

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