Farmer Assurance Provision

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The Farmer Assurance Provision, known as Section 735 (previously Section 733), was a rider in a 2013 U.S. spending bill. It became law as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, after the Senate passed the bill on March 20, 2013 and President Barack Obama signed it on March 26, 2013. The provision was in effect through September 30, 2013, and it was discontinued in 2014.

What it did
- If a biotech crop had its non-regulated status (permission to grow) invalidated by a court, the Agriculture Secretary could issue temporary deregulation or permits to farmers, with conditions, so they could continue planting, moving, and selling the crop while the agency finished its review.
- This temporary approval applied only to crops that had already completed the U.S. regulatory review process.
- The aim was to prevent farm and supply disruptions caused by lawsuits, while still allowing the USDA to complete its analyses.
- The provision did not take away the government's broader authority under the Plant Protection Act.

Support and opposition
- Supporters argued it clarified USDA power and protected farmers from abrupt regulatory delays.
- Opponents called it the "Monsanto Protection Act," saying it could let potentially unsafe crops be planted despite court findings.
- Senator Jeff Merkley proposed an amendment to repeal it, but the effort failed. Senator Bernie Sanders criticized it for bypassing court oversight.

In short, the provision was meant to keep farming stable during legal challenges over biotech crops, but it faced significant controversy and was removed from law a year later.