Work on the farm bill was delayed after contentious battles in the House over proposed cuts to the food stamp program, and the bill was stalled further by the government shutdown.
Anti-poverty groups want to make changes in the international food aid program that would allow the Agency for International Development to increase the amount of food it is allowed to purchase closer to where it is needed, rather than buying from American farmers and shipping it overseas.
A coalition of budget watchdog groups and a seafood trade group are lobbying to repeal a $20 million catfish inspection program at the Agriculture Department, which was put into the 2008 farm bill at the request of catfish farmers to limit imports. Opponents say it is duplicative because there is already a catfish inspection program at the Food and Drug Administration.
Food banks and other advocates are hoping to stop huge cuts to the food stamp program that they say will cause millions of people to go hungry.
And farm groups are asking lawmakers to maintain certain farm subsidy programs and resist making changes to others, like the sugar program, which limits domestic production and imports. Farm groups have also asked lawmakers to resist changes to the crop insurance program, which environmental groups say provides incentives for farmers to plant crops on land that is not suitable for farming.
Lawmakers from the two chambers plan to meet next Wednesday to begin negotiations on the bill.
They face a number of obstacles to a final five-year farm bill. Although the two bills make similar reforms to farm programs — like eliminating $5 billion in so-called direct payments that go to farmers and farm landowners whether they grow crops or not — the bills contain significant differences.
The biggest are the proposed cuts to the food stamp program. The Republican-led House proposed a $40 billion cut to the nutrition program, while the Senate bill cuts $4.5 billion.
Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts and one of the lawmakers selected by the House Democratic leadership to work on farm bill negotiations, called the cuts, particularly those in the House, unacceptable. “The farm bill should not be making people hungry,” he said.
Mr. McGovern said he has heard from a number of groups urging members of Congress to resist cuts to the food stamp program. “It’s going to be a fight,” he said, adding that if the program’s opponents insist on such huge cuts, “they’re going to ensure that there will be no farm bill.”
In an Oct. 15 letter to lawmakers working on the farm bill, the American Farm Bureau Federation said one of its biggest concerns was a provision in the House bill that would eliminate the so-called permanent law provision, which causes farm programs to revert to 1949 law if a new farm bill is not passed. That would result in significant increases in government spending on farm support programs.
The Farm Bureau said it was opposed to eliminating the provision because it had “served as strong motivation for Congress to enact new farm bills,” said Bob Stallman, the Farm Bureau’s president.
Members of Congress have also increased their lobbying efforts. A bipartisan group from the House sent a letter to Frank D. Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma and the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and Collin C. Peterson, Democrat of Minnesota and the ranking member of the committee, urging them to insist that the House-approved language repealing the duplicative catfish inspection program be included in the final version. The Senate version of the bill does not include the repeal.
About 50 members of the House sent letters to leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, urging them to keep changes to the international food aid program contained in the Senate version of the farm bill, a move backed by a coalition of groups that include Oxfam America and the World Food Program U.S.A.
“Reforming our food aid system could enable millions more people to be reached with lifesaving aid without costing taxpayers one extra penny,” the coalition said in an Oct. 22 letter.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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