American Farmland Trust Applauds Introduction of Relief for Farmers Hit With PFAS
(Washington, D.C.) American Farmland Trust (AFT) strongly endorses the bipartisan, bicameral Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act (press releases here and here). Introduced by Senators Collins (R-ME) and Shaheen (D-NH), and Representatives Pingree (D-ME) and Lawler (R-NY), the bill would provide much-needed federal funding for states to support farmers and ranchers impacted by the contamination of their land by PFAS, also referred to as “forever chemicals.”
“American Farmland Trust (AFT) applauds the reintroduction of the bipartisan Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act,” said Tim Fink, Vice President of Policy for AFT. “The discovery of PFAS contamination can be devastating for farms, farmers, and their families – all through no fault of their own. However, the state of Maine has proven that with the right financial and technical support, most farms can remain safely in operation. It’s time that this essential financial, technical, healthcare, and research support be available to impacted farmers across the nation.”
PFAS are a class of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in consumer and industrial products for decades. Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment, certain PFAS have been linked to negative health impacts including cancer. In recent years, detection of PFAS in agricultural soils has presented an urgent challenge, posing threats to farmers, farm families, and rural communities.
To address these threats, AFT has spent the last year and a half leading a process with key agricultural stakeholders to develop federal policy recommendations to address PFAS contamination of agricultural land. Joined by 15 partners, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Wildlife Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the new PFAS and Agriculture Policy Workgroup released its recommendations in September 2025. Within the recommendations, the Workgroup calls upon Congress to establish, and fully fund, a dedicated agricultural PFAS relief and support program for impacted farmers and ranchers.
“The PFAS and Agriculture Policy Workgroup has created the very first set of comprehensive federal recommendations addressing PFAS contamination of farmland” said Emily Liss, Farm Viability Policy Manager for AFT, and the leader of the Workgroup. "Although the Workgroup consists of a diverse range of organizations, all 16 groups were aligned on the critical need for a new dedicated program to provide relief and support to impacted farmers."
The Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act would provide significant funding for state-led PFAS responses and establish a task force at USDA charged with identifying existing USDA programs that can support impacted producers. Specifically, the bill would support:
Providing financial assistance to affected farmers;
Building capacity for PFAS testing for soil or water sources;
Monitoring blood for individuals to make informed decisions about their health;
Upgrading or purchasing equipment to ensure a farm remains profitable during or after known PFAS contamination;
Developing alternative production systems or remediation strategies;
Developing educational programs for farmers experiencing PFAS contamination; and
Researching soil and water remediation systems, and the viability of those systems for farms
The legislation is modeled after a similar program established in the state of Maine which has been instrumental in keeping PFAS-impacted farmers safely in production and in addressing health needs.
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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families.
