AG Industry, Food and Safety could be in Jeopardy with more State Budget Cuts
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It’s a more than 70 billion dollar industry that keeps Alabama growing.
The Department of Agriculture does everything from inspecting food to regulating pesticides and gas pumps.
“If you eat anything or go anywhere, you are dependent on us for establishing a market place, as well as the safety of the products that you consume,” said State Ag Commissioner John McMillan.
McMillan says his department has been operating at level funding since 2011.
And any more cuts would significantly reduce Alabama’s economy and food safety.
“I can tell you anything over a 1.2 million dollar cut would not be good, and it will require probably some cuts… the 4.3, we might as well lock the doors and go home,” said McMillan.
McMillan also says the threat of Avian flu is very real, taking out hundreds of thousands of birds across the country.
And as one of the top broiler producers, he says the state needs all the resources it can keep to fight the illness from coming here.
That’s why McMillan is hoping lawmakers will help save the Ag industry when making cuts.
“We could continue to operate if we had left over money in our budget, as could other agencies, but it’s my understanding midnight October 1st comes, that’s it,” said McMillan.
