FISHER: COST OF CLOSING AG DEPT. FAR OUTWEIGHS SAVINGS
Assembly Agriculture Chair Says Farmers Would Lose Powerful Advocate, Valuable Services

(TRENTON) - Assemblyman Douglas H. Fisher, chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, said today after the Thursday hearing of the Assembly Budget Committee that the proposed elimination of the state Department of Agriculture would mean the loss of a powerful advocate for New Jersey's vital farming community.

"The department of agriculture provides crucial services that help grow the state's multi-billion dollar food and agriculture complex," said Fisher (D-Cumberland).

Fisher noted that scrapping the department would mean the fragmentation of valuable services which are presently provided by one central agency.

"The mantra of this budget is efficiency, and cutting the most efficient department of government runs contrary to that view," said Fisher. "The Department of Agriculture is a lean operation that makes invaluable contributions to New Jersey's farming community."

New Jersey's food and agriculture complex is one of the state's largest industries.

Fisher noted that the importance of agriculture as a state legacy is demonstrated in the response of New Jersey's electorate which has voted overwhelmingly in support of initiatives such as Open Space, Greenland Acres and Farmland Preservation.

Programs funded by the state Department of Agriculture (DOA) include conservation of precious soil and water resources, protection of farmland, and its preservation for future agricultural use.

Certification of foods is another program of the DOA that ensures the safety and quality of the state's food and agricultural products.

The Department of Agriculture also runs one of the nation's most successful school nutrition programs in which nourishing meals are provided to children state-wide.

In fiscal year 2008, New Jersey received $328.4 million in federal funds for its school nutrition program in funding to the Department of Agriculture. That number is expected to go up to $342.1 million in FY 2009.

While the services provided by the state department of agriculture will be taken over by other state agencies, says Fisher, "Ag works. Leave it alone. It is run efficiently and runs great programs."

If New Jersey scraps its Department of Agriculture, it would join Alaska and Rhode Island as the only states without such a state agency.

In 2004, Connecticut legislators voted to reverse an earlier decision to merge the state's agricultural department with a consumer protection agency. Lawmakers restored the department after the avian flu threatened to decimate Connecticut's egg industry bringing to question the savings as compared to the costs of closing the agency.

The elimination of the state's Department of Agriculture under the Governor's proposed budget cuts is estimated to save $500,000 annually.

"Quite simply, the true costs to New Jersey's economy and environment should this department be eliminated are far greater than the perceived savings that would be achieved under this budget proposal," said Fisher.

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