The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2015 ag appropriations bill by a vote of 31 to 18 on Thursday. The committee rejected an amendment from House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sam Farr of California to strike the provision in the bill requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to grant waivers regarding the school meal nutrition requirements by a vote of 29 to 22 – according to The Hagstrom Report. Democrats supported Farr’s amendment and Republicans opposed it.
Other amendments rejected were one to restrict USDA non-recourse loans for sugar cane or sugar beet processors to operations under 300,000-dollars and reforms to certain GIPSA provisions. The committee approved amendments regarding horse meat inspection, banning the purchase of Chinese-processed chicken in the school lunch program and vending machine calories.