From the Kander campaign:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 19, 2016 Contact: Anne Feldman SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Jason Kander today toured Mama Jean’s, a local, organic food store in Springfield and discussed some of the most pressing issues facing Missouri’s farmers and ranchers. Jason highlighted his opposition to December’s repeal of country-of-origin labeling and the impact bad trade deals have in Missouri’s rural communities.
“Agriculture is the driving force of our state’s economy, giving Missouri a unique advantage in the world’s marketplace if Congress would just get out of the way,” Jason said. “Because Congress repealed the law ensuring that Americans know where our food comes from, Missourians now don’t know whether the food on their tables comes from Missouri, the United States or even Mexico. Not only is this taking money out of farmers’ and ranchers’ pockets, it’s misleading consumers. I don’t know why Senator Blunt supported that change or why he doesn’t believe Missouri farmers and ranchers should be allowed to sell their goods to Cuba, but these actions are putting Missouri agribusinesses at an unnecessary disadvantage in the global marketplace.”
After touring Mama Jean’s, Jason spoke about how Congress used the enormous omnibus spending bill late last year to sneak in the special-interest driven repeal of country-of-origin labeling requirement, and his disappointment that Senator Blunt supported that bill. He also pointed out that while Senator Blunt purports to be a free trade advocate, he doesn’t believe Missouri farmers and ranchers should be able to sell their products to Cuba even though it could be a billion dollar industry.
A fifth-generation Missourian, Jason understands how important the agriculture community is to the state’s economy and has advocated for commonsense solutions that save farmers and ranchers time and money. In June, his bill ending the requirement for family farms and ranch corporations to register annually with the Secretary of State’s office was signed into law, helping to eliminate burdensome fees and paperwork. As Secretary of State, Jason established a hotline in the Securities division just for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers to report scams for investigation. |
