Washington, D.C. — House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson is reportedly set to release a draft Farm Bill as early as today. The draft is expected to include continued attacks on federal food assistance through the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and contain several controversial industry-backed poison pills, including:

• The Cancer Gag Act, which would shield pesticide corporations from health-related lawsuits. Food & Water Watch research catalogues Roundup-producer Bayer’s quest for immunity. Bayer has spent over $11 billion settling more than 100,000 cancer lawsuits related to Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate, which the World Health Organization deems “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
• The EATS Act, re-introduced this session as the Save Our Bacon Act, which would strip state and local governments of their ability to pass agricultural policies within their own borders, overturning hundreds of state laws. 

Food & Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones issued the following statement:

“Any Farm Bill proposal that includes the Cancer Gag Act and EATS Act must be dead on arrival. These Big Ag poison pills will tank any hope of a fair Farm Bill. Families and farmers are hungry for federal policy that supports small- and mid-sized producers and keeps food affordable. Instead, Chairman Thompson appears poised to check off industry’s cruel wish list.

“America needs a fair Farm Bill. It is imperative that this Farm Bill repeal all Trump SNAP cuts and restore full funding to this critical nutrition program; stop the proliferation of factory farms; and support the transition to sustainable, affordable food.”