Testimony of Professor Laurie Ristino before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Small Business, June 21, 2018, Hearing on Accelerating Agriculture: How Regulations Impact Small Farmers

Abstract

This Testimony to the House makes the following points and recommendations regarding the appropriate role of regulation in the agriculture sector, with a focus on supporting small and mid-size farms. In particular: 1. Regulation of the agriculture sector is essential to safeguard public safety and health. 2. At the same time, in some cases, regulations may be better tailored to small farmers and food producers by taking into account their different production methods and associated risks in a way that ensures health and safety while allowing for local innovation. 3. Producer financial and technical assistance as well as public research dollars that assess production methods and associated risks are needed to help level the playing field for small and mid-sized producers. Based on these three points, I will conclude that the question is not whether to regulate, but how to do so in a way that protects the public while fostering innovation at different scales of agricultural and food production. To that end, I offer several practical suggestions for how government can improve regulatory design and outcomes for small farmers and food producers. This testimony explains how regulation is key to ensuring public health and safety related to food production. At the same time, federal regulations like FSMA can be better tailored to facilitate and support small and mid-sized, diversified agriculture production. To better tailor federal regulation and programs to encourage local, diversified food systems several steps should be taken, including supporting research, improving regulatory design, and expanding USDA technical and financial assistance for small, mid-sized and diversified farmers.