Monday, July 13, 2015

Senators Gobi and Tarr Announce Funding for Buy Local Projects in FY16 Budget

BOSTON – State Senator Anne M. Gobi (D-Spencer) is happy to announce that she and her colleagues enacted the fiscal year 2016 budget on Wednesday. Included in the spending bill is $300,000 in funding for Buy Local efforts in the Commonwealth. Senator Gobi worked with Senator Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester) to pass an amendment during Senate debate that includes funding for efforts in Central, Western, Northeastern and Southern Massachusetts and also includes new language providing for locally harvested seafood to be included.

“Getting fresh produce from the farm to table is much easier with funding to provide more opportunities for farmers to get the food to consumers,” said Senator Gobi. “The Buy Local effort is going strong and I am proud to be a supporter.” “Purchasing locally produced fruit, vegetables, other produce and seafood is not only a great way to help the local and state economies, it also gives a real boost to small businesses that are critical to our quality of life, and it promotes a healthy diet. This modest investment of state funds will yield many, many benefits.”

“Purchasing locally produced fruit, vegetables, other produce and seafood is not only a great way to help the local and state economies, it also gives a real boost to small businesses that are critical to our quality of life, and it promotes a healthy diet. This modest investment of state funds will yield many, many benefits,” said Tarr. 

Tarr recognized the potential benifit of adding seafood to the Buy Local program, coupled with state funding, might have on the fishing industry. "Including seafood in this effort will promote the efforts of our fishermen to survive in the face of many challenges and hopefully increase awareness of one of our state's best protein resources."

Sen. Gobi has long advocated for local agricultural initiatives as the current Senate Chair of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee and as House Chair of the Committee in the previous two legislative sessions.