The Farm Bill Law Enterprise (FBLE) released three reports last month examining the debate over the 2018 farm bill, currently being drafted in the House and Senate. Each report focuses on a specific theme: Diversified Agricultural Economies; Food Access, Nutrition and Public Health; and Productivity and Risk Management.
Emily Broad Leib, Director of HLS’s Food Law and Policy Clinic and an author of the reports, says that “[t]he farm bill is the most important piece of legislation affecting our food and farming system.” New farm bills occur every five years; the current bill expires in September. FBLE’s shared goals for the farm bill include a reliable and nutritious food supply, an honest living for farmers, a healthy environment, and a strong safety net against hunger. The reports contain recommendations for meeting these goals.
The Farm Bill Law Enterprise, formed in 2016, is a partnership between eight law school programs combining expertise in food, public health, and environmental law. FBLE is led by the HLS Food Law and Policy Clinic; its members also include Duke Law School Environmental Law & Policy Clinic; HLS Environmental & Energy Law Program and Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic; HLS Health Law and Policy Clinic; Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law Food Law Initiative; UCLA School of Law Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy; Vermont Law School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems; and Yale Law School Environmental Protection Clinic. The reports can be found at FarmBillLaw.org.