Amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the US House of Representatives today passed a $3 trillion relief and stimulus bill, known as the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. The legislation would provide funding for health services, state and local governments, housing assistance, infrastructure, the US Postal Service (USPS), stimulus checks for taxpayers, nutrition assistance, and agricultural economic disaster relief.

While National Farmers Union (NFU) was encouraged that the previous stimulus bill – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act – offered much-needed immediate relief to family farmers and rural communities coping with the ripple effects of the pandemic, the organisation cautioned that it only scratched the surface of what will ultimately be required to keep family farms in business and ensure national food security.

In a statement, NFU President Rob Larew thanked Congress for continuing its efforts to support the agriculture sector and renewed his earlier calls for a broader reform of the food system:

“These are trying times for family farmers and ranchers. After struggling through many years of low prices, trade disputes, and bad weather, our nation’s food producers are now contending with yet more difficulties. The pandemic has depressed prices even further, upended agricultural markets, backed up processing and distribution, and dramatically altered demand, all of which is putting immense pressure on farmers of every shape and size.

“The HEROES Act would do a great deal to alleviate these pressures. Of particular importance is an additional $16.5 billion in direct support to affected farmers, which should help prevent the closure of thousands of family-owned operations. We are similarly heartened by provisions that would strengthen farmer mental health resources, extend employer-sponsored health care coverage, expand nutrition assistance programmes, and assist biofuel plants. As rural communities cope with widespread unemployment, a growing rate of coronavirus cases, and underfunded medical facilities, all of these changes are urgently important and greatly appreciated.

“There are many other things to like about this bill. For one, it would require long-overdue protections for workers at risk of occupational exposure to COVID-19, including meat plant workers and other food supply chain workers. Far too many of these workers have gotten sick or died in the past several months, which has wreaked havoc on the entire food system. We must do more to keep the people who feed us safe ­– both for their sake and for the sake of our food security.

“Additionally, we are pleased that the HEROES Act designates $25 billion for the US Postal Service, which is currently expected to run out of funding by September. By delivering our mail, bills, paychecks, medication, and ballots at a reasonable rate, USPS provides a vital service to all Americans – but it is particularly important to rural Americans who live in areas that lack reliable broadband access and are too remote to be served by private mail services. The loss of USPS would cut these areas off from the outside world, limiting access to critical resources and potentially preventing participation in the upcoming election.

“Despite its strengths, the HEROES Act is not a cure-all. If anything, this pandemic has revealed significant, underlying flaws in our food system ­– flaws that will continue to rear their ugly heads if we don’t act quickly to address them. While working on this legislation and future legislation, we urge Congress to make meaningful and lasting changes with policies that balance supply with demand, ensure greater competition in the meat industry, and bolster local and regional food systems.”