Booker Announced CAFO Moratorium Legislation

Senator Cory Booker Monday announced legislation to phase out concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs. The New Jersey Democrat says the Farm System Reform Act of 2019 would place an immediate moratorium on new and expanding large CAFOs, and phase out by 2040 the largest CAFOs as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. The legislation would also restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef and pork and expand to dairy products. Additionally, it would prohibit the Department of Agriculture from labeling foreign imported meat products as “Product of USA.” Booker labels CAFOs as “large factory farms,” claiming the operations “are harmful to rural communities, public health, and the environment, adding “we must immediately begin to transition to a more sustainable and humane system.” As noted by Politico, Booker, a vegan, has said he’s not interested in telling Americans what to eat. However, proposing sweeping reforms to the U.S. food system is routine for the Senator.