Agriculture Department to Continue Critical Services During Budget Impasse |
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By: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Posted: 2007-07-07 12:27:15 |
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Governor Edward G. Rendell is working to adopt a budget that requires no broad based tax increases, provides sufficient resources to ensure that Pennsylvania continues to improve its public schools, offers high quality child care, helps Pennsylvanians get good jobs and helps our companies grow, but the Department of Agriculture, forced by the federal government to classify workers in the event of a budget impasse, said today Pennsylvania's budget stalemate means it will have to furlough 273 employees.
However, many of the department's operations, which directly affect the health, safety and welfare of residents, will continue, said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. "Ensuring human health by protecting our food supply is the top priority of the department," said Wolff. "From the farm, where our food system begins, to the dinner plate, we will work to keep Pennsylvanians safe during a budget impasse." The department's food sanitarians and laboratory services will continue to inspect and test restaurants, dairies, processing facilities, retail grocery stores and other places where food is prepared. Animal health services and veterinary laboratories will also continue to operate. "It's important to not only monitor the end food product that you find on store shelves and at restaurants, but also to monitor any animal diseases which may affect human health while the animal is alive or after it has entered the food system. To help protect our food from the beginning, our world-class veterinary lab system will continue to function," said Wolff. Food distribution representatives, who help supply shelters, soup kitchens and operate food assistance programs, will continue to work, as will amusement ride inspectors. Through specially funded programs, the following will continue to operate despite a budget impasse: -- Dog wardens: dog kennel inspections and dog bite investigations -- Horse and harness racing officials and investigators -- Plum Pox surveys -- Apiary inspections -- Events at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center -- County and community fair programs -- Bureau of Plant Industry services, including efforts related to the Emerald Ash Borer "While all of the programs the department administers are essential to the continued prosperity of the commonwealth, those that are not essential to the health, safety and welfare of residents will be put on hold," said Wolff. The Bureau of Plant Industry, which oversees plant-related diseases and pests as well as conservation issues, pesticide certification and regulation of all feed products in the state, will not function during an impasse. Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle that destroys ash trees, was detected for the first time in Pennsylvania last week. Quarantines are in place to slow the spread of the beetle, but other efforts to find or contain it will be delayed during a budget impasse. All marketing and farmland preservation efforts of the department will also cease to function during an impasse. Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed a $27.3 billion budget on Feb. 6 that offered solutions for Pennsylvania's transportation funding crisis, relief for overburdened property taxpayers, innovative ideas for attracting the best and brightest scientists to find cures for the world's deadliest diseases, ways to free residents from their dependence on foreign oil, expansion of successful education initiatives and bold ideas for bringing health care to every Pennsylvanian. Recently, however, members of the Senate opted, instead, to demand that the budget cut millions of dollars from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs, economic development and job training programs, as well as child care and mental health programs. CONTACT: Chris L. Ryder (717) 787-5085 |
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