WASHINGTON, March 13 -- Sen. Peter Welch issued the following press release:
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today joined U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in urging USDA to promptly release cost share reimbursements for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP), which many farms rely on to offset high certification costs. In their letter to USDA Under Secretary Richard Fordyce, the Senators warn that ongoing delays are forcing some businesses to postpone their organic certification renewal, risking further decline of U.S. organic farms at a time when demand for organic food continues to grow.
"Organic farmers and food ma...