WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today voted in favor of S.954, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013, also known as the Farm Bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 66-27. The bill represents the most significant reform of American agricultural policy in decades and contains noteworthy measures for Maine’s agricultural community, including one offered by Senator King that levels the playing field for Maine’s domestic forest products.

Senator King said:

“The Farm Bill, which was passed in a bipartisan manner, significantly reforms current agricultural policy to support the diverse needs and priorities of farming communities across Maine and America while saving taxpayers an estimated $24 billion over the next decade.

“From promoting family farms, local farmers markets, and home-grown foods to providing critical start-up capital for beginning farmers, the bill will have a beneficial and far-reaching impact on Maine and the more than 8,000 farmers who help to drive our state’s economy. The measure strengthens critical crop insurance and disaster relief programs that have historically helped farmers across the state to recover from devastating storms, preserves vital SNAP assistance that offers nutritional assistance to low-income individuals, and invests in rural development initiatives to upgrade infrastructure and extend broadband availability.

“Additionally, the legislation contains the Forest Products Fairness Act, which I helped to author, and which will properly label forest products as biobased products, thereby helping to level the playing field for Maine’s domestically-produced wood products.”

On March 5th, Senator King, along with Senators Collins, Pryor, Blunt, and Boozman, introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act, which provides new opportunities for American forestry producers by allowing their products to qualify for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred Program. The BioPreferred Program was originally created by the 2002 Farm Bill to provide new markets for farm commodities and encourage consumers to purchase environmentally-friendly biobased products. Under the program, every federal agency is required to rank their preference of biobased products for purchasing decisions. To increase consumer recognition of biobased products, the program also created voluntary labeling.  Despite the sustainability of wood, pulp and paper products, the USDA has not designated these products as a USDA Certified Biobased Products.  The Forest Products Fairness Act would allow domestic forestry products to be labeled as biobased so they could receive increased consumer attention as well as federal government procurement preference. This designation would also level the playing field between domestically-produced wood products and imported products such as Chinese bamboo, which is already eligible for the biobased label and used as a “green” alternative for hardwood flooring or lumber.

“Senator King has been a leader for Maine’s forest products industry since the day he entered the Senate,” said James Robbins, Vice President of Robbins Lumber in Searsmont. “Because of his efforts, Maine’s forest products industry will now receive the same treatment as imported products, allowing us to flourish and grow. Thank you to Senator King and his colleagues for seeing this important piece of legislation through the Senate.”

Patrick Strauch, Executive Director of the Maine Forest Products Council, said: “The Council represents a broad spectrum of forest products in Maine and we appreciate Senator King’s efforts to create additional opportunities for our industry.”

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