ORONO, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today delivered keynote remarks at the 2016 Maine Food Network Gathering held at the Wells Conference Center at the University of Maine in Orono, where he applauded the years of hard work that have helped grow Maine’s thriving local food movement.

“Maine has a rich history of agriculture and fisheries. The broad scope of agricultural production, from small local direct market farms to larger commodity growers, is strengthening our rural economy, gives us more access to fresh, locally-produced goods, and also creates jobs and grows businesses,” Senator Angus King said. “The growth we’ve seen didn’t happen overnight; it took years of hard work and collaboration to build the impressive local food network we have today. And events like this one are critically important as we look to continue that positive momentum moving forward.”

Today’s event brought together leaders from Maine’s food economy, and focused on issues such as the role that local networks play in overcoming barriers to fresh food, workforce development resources available for small business owners, and opportunities for Maine’s marine economy such as aquaculture. More than 150 attendees from agriculture, fisheries, food production, and food recovery organizations participated in the event.

Senator King has been a strong voice for local agriculture in the Senate, working to support the positive trends in Maine’s local food movement. During debate on the 2014 Farm Bill, which defines our country’s agricultural policies for a period of five years, Senator King worked to make sure the voice of Maine’s farmers was heard.

When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was working to implement the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), Senator King made sure that Maine farmers’ concerns were heard in the process in an effort to keep the FSMA rules from unduly burdening Maine’s small and midsized farmers. In 2014, he ushered into law the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, a bipartisan and common-sense bill with Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) that allows veterinarians to legally carry and dispense controlled substances to treat animals on the farm.  And he has also teamed up with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to introduce the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act, or PRIME Act, which would make it easier for small farms and ranches to provide locally-produced meats to consumers. 

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