More was proposed than adopted, but in the end, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act, better known as the FARRM bill, moved out of the House Agriculture committee with 43 amendments (see a complete list of what was approved, defeated, withdrawn and tabled here from our friends at Agri-Pulse.com).

One of the more significant amendments that passed kills the controversial Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rulemaking issue that caused so much consternation for the livestock industry. The GIPSA amendment, introduced by Reps. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and Jim Costa (D-CA), reins in what some lawmakers saw as the USDA overstepping its authority from the 2008 Farm Bill in dealings between meatpackers and producers. “The rulemaking went well beyond the intent of the 2008 Farm Bill and threatened livestock and poultry marketing as we know it,” Conaway told the committee. He added that it particularly threatened value-added marketing opportunities. But Conaway found resistance from Ranking Member Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), who said, “You are opening up one huge can of worms with this, and I don’t think it’s smart.” Peterson also pointed out that this is a non-starter in the Senate. Despite his misgivings, the amendment passed by a voice vote.

Listen to the debate on the measure here: Debate in House Ag Committee on GIPSA amendment

Another amendment passing the committee would put a 90-day deadline on USDA to show the U.S. is in line with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) matters. Texas Republican Rep. Randy Neugebauer’s measure was approved 34-12. The National Farmers Union, while supportive overall of what came out of the committee, was critical of this measure, saying it “is an underhanded way to dismantle COOL behind closed doors and out of public view.”

Under the nutrition part of the bill, the defeat of an amendment that would have restored the $16.5 billion cut to SNAP drew the ire of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Unfortunately, the bill produced by the House Agriculture Committee contains deep cuts in SNAP, including a provision that will deny much-needed food assistance to 3 million Americans, mostly low-income working families with children as well as seniors. The proposed cuts will deny 280,000 children in low-income families access to school meals and reduce farm income across rural America,” Vilsack said in a statement.