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Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns Archive
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Contact:
Bethany Shively,
202-347-0228, or bshively@beef.org.
The Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns (CCC) is a weekly report from Washington, D.C., giving an up-to-date summary of top policy initiatives concerning the cattle industry; direct from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). Please feel free to reprint in full or in part. If you would like to include NCBA's logo, contact us at 303-694-0305. | |
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NCBA Analyzing Final COOL Rule Implications
On Monday, January 12, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced details of the final regulation for country of origin labeling (COOL). The final rule was published in today's Federal Register and will go into effect 60 days from publication on March 16, 2009.
NCBA is pleased to see a final rule in place. What markets hate most is uncertainty, and the final rule will allow beef markets to adjust to the new regulations and make the month implementation period more meaningful. Its permanency allows dedicated resources for educating producers, processors, retailers, and consumers.
NCBA submitted comments to USDA requesting the use of visual inspection to determine the origin of cattle. Cattle from Canada and Mexico are branded with either a CAN or M, respectively, and are also given additional forms of identification (including animal identification ear tags for Canadian animals) upon entering our country. The lack of such markings should be sufficient to prove U.S. origin.
NCBA also requested that USDA clarify record-keeping requirements in the final rule. For instance, because live animals are not "covered commodities," NCBA believes that any USDA audit should end with the packer or processor that initiated the origin claim, and not go further down the production chain to the cattle producer.
Additionally, NCBA has concerns regarding confusion over Category B labeling.
The final rule addresses many of these issues, and NCBA is currently analyzing the rule to determine exactly what is required of our producers. We will provide further information and analysis as soon as possible.
Copies of the final rule and additional information are on line at http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL.
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PLC and NCBA Ask Governor Vilsack to Continue Support of Wildlife Services
On Tuesday, January 13, the Public Lands Council (PLC) and NCBA sent a letter to President Elect Obama's Agriculture Secretary nominee, Governor Tom Vilsack, expressing support for Wildlife Services. The letter was signed by 76 producer and state organizations representing 35 states in support of USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services Program (WS).
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is a crucial partner of American agriculture in protecting our nation's food and fiber production. The Wildlife Services Agency (WS) is a critical part of APHIS and plays a key role in protection of livestock from predation, mitigating wildlife damage to agriculture, and disease prevention.
Livestock losses to predation cost producers more than $100 million annually. Without non-lethal and lethal predator control by Wildlife Services these numbers could easily double or even triple. The agency provides a means for striking a balance in the wildlife/livestock interface, including limiting the spread of disease from wildlife.
Wildlife Services also offers protection to endangered species from more common predator species. Additionally, they play a vital role in public safety, reducing threats to aircraft by controlling bird populations around airports, reducing bird strikes to aircraft.
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Senate Holds Key Confirmation Hearings
NCBA staff attended Senate confirmation hearings this week for three key nominees to the incoming Obama Administration.
On Wednesday, January 14, Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, President-elect Obama's nominee as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee. Also on Wednesday, former head of New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection Lisa P. Jackson, nominated as the next Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, appeared before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. This morning, Interior Secretary-designate Senator Ken Salazar (Colo.) appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
NCBA looks forward to working closely with these and other key regulatory agencies and congressional committees to ensure our nation's cattle producers have a strong voice in the White House and on Capitol Hill.
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USDA Announces Additional Funding for Cattle Fever Tick Prevention
NCBA is pleased by USDA's announcement earlier this week that it will make an additional $4.9 million in emergency funding available to support the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP). These critical funds will help address the emergency cattle fever tick situation in Texas.
The cattle fever tick eradication program was initiated in 1906 and was initially funded by Congress in 1907 as a cooperative federal/state/industry disease and pest eradication effort. Due to these efforts cattle fever ticks were eradicated from all 14 states that comprised the fever tick's historical range and were pushed across the Rio Grande River by 1943. A permanent quarantine area was established along the Texas side of the Rio Grande River in 1938 to prevent re-establishment of fever ticks from Mexico in Texas. Despite the success of the program, since 2005 the level of tick infestations has been increasingly trending upward. Tick incursions from Mexico are increasing, resulting in a historically high number of infested premises as well as temporary expansions of the permanent quarantine buffer area in Texas.
Ticks enter the United States periodically from other countries, causing a significant threat to cattle and wildlife. The ticks are vectors for diseases which could cause great economic hardships to the cattle industry and agriculture, in addition to posing a threat to foreign trade. The increasing incursions of tick infestations in Texas, the increasing level of acaracide resistant ticks in Mexico, the identification of some acaracide resistant ticks in Texas, and the increasing role of wildlife (especially white-tailed deer, elk, and nilgai) in the spread and maintenance of fever ticks in Texas are of great concern.
NCBA continues to encourage USDA and all other agencies to work closely with foreign governments to coordinate prevention/eradication programs. NCBA supports the cooperative efforts of the USDA and Texas Animal Health Commission's regarding the CFTEP and USDA's National Strategic Plan for the CFTEP for FY 2006-2011. This strategic plan has never been funded. While NCBA welcomes the $4.9 million in emergency funding, we urge immediate funding to adequately address the emergency situation from the outbreak areas of South Texas, as well full implementation and funding of the National Strategic Plan. |
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APHIS Proposes Rule on National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has proposed a rule to amend the domestic livestock regulations with respect to the NAIS. The proposed rule-published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, January 13th-would require that when animal identification numbers are used, only those numbers beginning with the 840 prefix will be recognized as official for use on all AIN tags applied to animals 1 year or more after the date on which this proposed rule is finalized. In addition, the rule would require all new premises identification numbers issued on or after the effective date of this rule to use the seven-character alphanumeric code format.
Official eartags using a premises-based numbering system issued after a 1-year phase-in period would be required to use the seven-character alphanumeric code format as well. The rule further proposes several changes pertaining to the use of the U.S. shield on official eartags, numbering systems that use such eartags, and the correlation of those numbering systems with the PIN.
According to APHIS, the proposed changes are intended to achieve greater standardization and uniformity of official numbering systems and eartags used in animal disease programs and to enhance animal traceability.
The proposed changes are in keeping with the NAIS business plan, which outlines the program's goals and strategies for the next three to five years. The plan's immediate focus is increasing the quantity of animals identified and traceable to their premises of origin. The plan is available online at: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/naislibrary/documents/plans_reports/TraceabilityBusinessPlan%20Ver%201.0%20Sept%202008.pdf
NCBA has worked for years with government and industry groups toward development of a voluntary nationwide animal identification system that will monitor the health of U.S. livestock and allow for trace in the event of an animal health concern. NCBA feels producer rights and confidentiality are a top priority. |
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Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 (S.22) Passes Senate
By a vote of 73-21, the Senate today passed S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The billauthorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture concerning national wilderness designations, national rivers, the national landscape conservation system (NLCS), national conservation areas, land conveyances and exchanges, watershed management, watershed restoration and enhancement, wolf livestock loss, national parks, national heritage areas, water projects, tribal water rights, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and coastal and estuarine land conservation.
The Public Lands Council (PLC) has been closely monitoring this legislation and has been actively engaged in the provisions affecting our members. Specifically, PLC supported the "wolf livestock loss" section, which would provide grants to assist livestock producers in reducing the risk of livestock loss due to wolf predation and to compensate livestock producers for losses due to predation. |
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Don't Miss NCBA's Award-Winning Cattlemen to Cattlemen
Don't miss NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen when we return January 20th with all new programming and a new host. We'll spend time getting to know Colorado cattleman, and new host, Kevin Ochsner at his ranch in the northeastern part of the state. Plus, we'll learn more about the Public Lands Council. And we'll take a look at the new Obama Administration and what that means for cattlemen.
Join NCBA and RFD-TV for a live broadcast from the 2009 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and NCBA Trade Show! The show will feature NCBA leadership, cattle industry experts and the fun and excitement from the trade show floor! Join us Wednesday, January 28th at 8 p.m. eastern on RFD-TV!
NCBA'S Cattlemen to Cattlemen debuts Tuesday, January 20th at 8:30 p.m. The show also airs Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and on Sunday at 12:00 a.m. (All Times are Eastern) Don't forget, you can watch NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen online anytime by visiting: www.cattlementocattlemen.org. |
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2009 Cattle Industry Convention
It's a New Day in the Sun! Bring the entire family to Phoenix. There is something for everyone at the 2009 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. Events include youth activities for the kids starting at age 9, NCBA PEF dinner featuring Tracy Byrd and tours for the whole family. Take advantage of the convention and bring the whole family on a well deserved vacation! |
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NATIONAL CATTLEMEN'S BEEF ASSOCIATION
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20004 | |
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