Farm Bill

The 2013 farm bill will hit the Senate floor this week, and a small but controversial catfish inspection program will likely be on the chopping block. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has added an amendment to the farm bill to do away with the USDA program. He says it's duplicative, since the Food and Drug Administration already randomly inspects some imported catfish. Doing away with the program would save $14 million. It could also prevent a possible trade war with Vietnam where most imported catfish comes from. But domestic catfish groups say imported catfish poses a salmonella risk and that all catfish should be inspected. The amendment to end the program has garnered bipartisan support and is expected to pass.