LOUISVILLE, KY, September 21, 2021 - PRESS RELEASE – The National Industrial Hemp Council (NIHC) this week has been convening a series of discussions with state regulators alongside the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).
The purpose of the meetings has been to obtain feedback from state regulators on the individual hemp programs they administer to find out what’s working and what’s not with regard to the 2014 Farm Bill hemp pilot program authorities and the 2018 Farm Bill authorities as implemented by the USDA Final Rule on hemp production. U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee staff requested such input as their work gets underway to develop the next Farm Bill towards anticipated enactment in 2023.
“The one phrase we’ve been hearing throughout the week has been ‘regulatory inconsistency,’” said Government Affairs Co-Chairs Herrick Fox, CEO and founder of Meristem Farms (VT), and Graham Owens, president of Delta Agriculture (TX), who have been leading these conversations at NASDA. “States are frustrated by continuing inaction by FDA and the costs, logistics and technical challenges of implementing hemp programs under the USDA Rule. We’re hearing valuable feedback that we believe will help Congress write and pass a farm bill that will create a hemp economy that works for everyone.”
Thus far, NIHC staff and the Government Affairs Committee have met with regulators from Wisconsin, Alaska, Virginia, Florida, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Colorado and Kentucky. There are more meetings scheduled to be taking place throughout the week.
At its Hemp Business Summit in Washington, D.C., in November, NIHC will offer more opportunities, bringing members, industry stakeholders and regulators together to engage with each other to continue these discussions.
For more information about NIHC’s participation at NASDA, including interview requests, please contact Larry Farnsworth at [email protected].
