05/13/08 Dispute over sugar provisions in farm bill

The White House has been sending out the message for a couple of weeks; the President will veto the farm bill that's headed for a Congressional vote this week. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer says the bill does not reform farm programs. In some cases he contends that it actually goes the other way. SCHAFER "It actually increases government spending on sugar so domestic producers can be assured of nearly double the world market price." The Idaho Sugarbeet Growers Association executive director Mark Duffin says the support price for sugar has not changed since 1980 and he takes exception of Schafer's contention that government spending for sugar would double. Duffin says the price support will increase three quarters of a cent over a three year period from 2009 to 2011. Deputy Ag Secretary Chuck Conner took his shots at the sugar provision contending that they will create massive WTO issues. CONNER "You have to have 85 percent of the sugar used in this country come from domestic sources; a content requirement if you will. Now these are two provisions if other countries tried to do this type of thing to our trade we would be incensed." 85 percent of the current domestic crop goes to food use, the rest for non-food programs like ethanol production. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott