Bush Administration Supports Farm Subsidy Reform

WASHINGTON - February 13 - Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook issued the statement below after hearing the Bush administration’s position on U.S. farm subsidies from a Council of Economic Advisers’ report issued today:

“We commend the Bush administration for taking this bold position on farm subsidies and hope that they will put their shoulder to the political wheel to accomplish wide-ranging reform in the 2007 Farm bill.

“An emphasis on ‘green’ environmental payments and reducing harm to developing countries is exactly what we need.”

From 1995 to 2004, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data compiled by EWG, U.S. taxpayers spent $143,835,000,000 on American farm entities. Of that figure, the largest 10 percent of farm entities collected 72 percent – or $104 billion. Sixty percent of American farmers receive no subsidies.

EWG researchers have tracked U.S. farm subsidies since 1995 and posted them in a free online database searchable by name, zip code, town, county, state and more. Visitors can find the database at http://www.ewg.org/farm.