Agriculture is part of the fabric of this country. We want to be sure people in agriculture know they have a friend in the White House. The 1996 farm program was designed to phase out government support programs, Sharp decline in commodity prices two years ago made that politically untenable. Now, farm groups are instead looking for ways to provide new forms of income assistance to producers. Farm leaders have praised Veneman's selection.
Consumer advocates are wary of the agriculture secretary being too close to farm interests.
But the Consumer Federation of America's Carol Tucker Foreman, who oversaw the department's food safety programs during the Carter administration, said Veneman knows the department must do more than help farmers. There is some comfort level in the department, knowing that she is coming on board. Glickman has been fighting in court with both the meat industry and the meat inspectors union over his attempts to modernize food safety. The industry is opposed to microbial testing standards that the department has imposed. The inspectors union wants to nix an experimental program that has given processors more responsibility for checking meat and poultry in plants.