Georgia agriculture commissioner details budget requests for labs, hemp program, HPAI response and vehicle backlog

Commissioner (Georgia Department of Agriculture) told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on March 18 that the department needs additional recurring and one-time funding to run existing programs and meet new responsibilities.

The department asked the committee to support the House-passed appropriations and also requested additional items including more staff for the hemp program, emergency management and avian influenza (HPAI) response equipment, meat inspection supervisors, funding for an Atlanta regulatory lab at the Atlanta Produce Terminal in Forest Park and money to replace a backlog of vehicles and add seed germinators at the Tifton lab.

Why it matters: the department oversees Georgia’s largest industry. Commissioner (Georgia Department of Agriculture) said investment in the agency is essential to maintain export markets, public health surveillance and food-safety capacity, and to support rural economic development tied to agriculture.

Most immediate asks and context • Safety24/Forestry grant loans: The commissioner said the agency reopened applications on March 12 after the FY amendment moved additional funds into the program. He reported the loan program had…