Loeffler Introduces Legislation to Create Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator

Bill Establishes Post to Make Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain a National Priority

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, introduced legislation to create a supply chain administrator for agriculture who would help break down barriers and expand domestic market access for American farmers.
 
The American Farms, Food banks and Families Act, which is part of the “Grown in the USA” pillar of Loeffler’s USA Restoring & Igniting the Strength of our Economy (USA RISE) Plan, will create the Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator within the office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to act as a liaison between food banks, grocers and nonprofit food distributors to expand domestic market access for American farmers and prevent food scarcity.
 
“Agriculture is a national priority, and the prosperity of our nation as a whole depends on the strength and resilience of American agriculture,” said Senator Loeffler. “As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and having grown up on a fourth-generation farm, I am committed to helping farmers and ranchers, who continue to produce the food, fuel and fiber our nation needs as we battle COVID-19 and into the future. By pioneering an agriculture supply chain administrator, we are ensuring that the federal government is collaborating with local farmers, food banks, and distributors to make our food supply chain more efficient, help families in need, assist hardworking American farmers and create more jobs.”
 
“Since the start of the pandemic, Georgia food banks have seen a 30-40% increase in demand. Now more than ever, it is critical that we connect families in need with nutritious produce,” said Kyle Waide, President & CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. “By creating a position within the administration dedicated to bringing food banks, grocers, nonprofits and farmers together, this legislation will help food insecure families across the country get the fresh food they desperately need. We applaud Senator Loeffler’s leadership in looking for creative solutions to this challenge, and we are eager to work with her on this legislation as it moves through the Senate.”
 
The bill text can be found here.
 
Background:
 
The duties of the administrator include identifying legal and regulatory barriers that inhibit farmers from working directly with food distribution entities and convening members of the public and private sector to make recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture.