Calls Against the Elimination of California’s Department of Food & Agriculture

The California Farm Bureau Federation released a statement today criticizing a possible move to eliminate the state’s Department of Food & Agriculture as a way to help resolve the state’s budget crisis. Click here to view the statement by the Ca. Farm Bureau Federation. The state’s Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture held hearings last week to discuss the possibility of transferring the department’s responsibilities to other state departments.

The hearing included many vocal proponents to the elimination of the department. According to Michael Dimock, the president of Roots of Change,

“In the last three years, I would say there has been a tremendous shift on the part of the department to include issues of food and not just agriculture. And when you start talking about food and not just agriculture, you are talking about the entire public," he said.
"Our concern is that this is bad timing because it takes years to develop good relationships, good partnerships between government officials, the private sector and the NGOs (non-governmental organizations)," Dimock said. "Those relationships have been developed over the last three or four years and if they are destroyed it is going to slow down some of these solutions to challenges that face both farmers and the public."

California Farm Bureau Federation administrator, Richard Matteis, stressed the importance of the department.

“The Department of Homeland Security has way more than it can handle. CDFA, the county agricultural commissioners and our border inspection stations are our next line of defense," Matteis said. "One of the ideas being talked about is the transfer of all pest exclusion activities to the Department of Pesticide Regulation. The problem is that this is not a time to experiment, to tamper with a system that works. It is fully integrated, beginning with the ag commissioners at the county level, and on up through CDFA and USDA. These special relationships have been developed over the years and now that they are in place, this is not the time to make changes.”

At the end of the hearing, the Senate committee took no action and made no recommendation to eliminate the department.

Posted: 06/24/09