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Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns Archive
Contact:
Bethany Shively,
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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Final COOL Rule is in Effect
The final rule on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) went into effect as scheduled on Monday, March 16.
On March 31, 2009, the six-month education and outreach program operated by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will come to an end, and COOL will be actively enforced by AMS as per the final rule issued on January 15, 2009.
NCBA is pleased that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is implementing the final rule as scheduled, as its permanency allows NCBA and our partners throughout the industry to dedicate resources for educating producers, processors, retailers, and consumers.
Although the final rule has gone into effect as written, in February, Secretary Vilsack sent a letter to the packing industry outlining voluntary recommendations for more detailed labeling. Specifically, he has asked that processors include information about which production step occurred in each country when multiple countries appear on the label.
NCBA will monitor USDA's implementation process to see if any aspects of this program have a negative impact on domestic beef demand or international trade.
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USDA Releases Final Rule on Handling of Non-Ambulatory Cattle
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) yesterday released the final rule on the "Disposition of Cattle that Become Non-Ambulatory Disabled Following Ante-Mortem Inspection." The rule addresses ante-mortem inspection and humane handling related to non-ambulatory disabled cattle at commercial processing plants.
The rule will continue to require that plant personnel notify FSIS when cattle become non-ambulatory at an official establishment, including those that become non-ambulatory disabled after passing ante-mortem inspection. It also requires that these cattle be euthanized, marked "U.S. Condemned," and not be allowed into the commercial food supply.
NCBA has strongly supported the exclusion of any non-ambulatory cattle from the commercial food supply since the ban was first implemented in 2003 after a detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). NCBA also supported the modified rule in July of 2007 which provided a way for healthy cattle to be examined and deemed eligible for slaughter after sustaining a specific injury that did not threaten the safety or quality of the meat derived from the animal. The secondary inspection requirement was specifically designed to ensure that result, and would have done so if properly followed and enforced.
NCBA fully supports strict compliance and accurate, complete, and consistent enforcement of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act.
The United States has the safest food supply in the world. Additionally, we believe FSIS should have all necessary tools and resources to enforce food safety regulations. NCBA supports constant improvement of the practices and procedures that ensure safety. Over the past two decades, industry and government have worked together to put in place science-based measures which have proven to be highly successful in providing for the health and well-being of cattle and maintaining a safe food supply for consumers.
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PLC Opposes Omnibus Public Lands Bill
On March 16, The Public Lands Council (PLC) sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources expressing opposition to passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22).
The package--which contains more than 150 separate pieces of legislation--would set aside over two million acres in nine states, including 100 miles of wild and scenic rivers, as protected wilderness, potentially further limiting multiple-use access to our nation's public lands.
PLC is concerned that bundling individual land deals into one package precludes meaningful public review of these important measures.
PLC supports the passage of certain provisions in the bill, including the Wolf Compensation Act, which would provide grants to assist livestock producers in reducing the risk of livestock loss due to wolf predation as well as compensate livestock producers for losses due to predation. PLC is opposed to other sections, including the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), which would place additional burdensome federal regulations on permittees who graze livestock on public lands.
S. 22 passed in the Senate today with 77 votes. It will now be sent back to the House for consideration in the immediate future.
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NCBA and PLC Support Nomination of Bob Abbey as BLM Director
On March 17, NCBA and the Public Lands Council (PLC) joined together with a group of 15 state and national livestock associations in sending a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar endorsing Bob Abbey for appointment as the next Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
"We firmly believe Mr. Abbey has amply demonstrated the leadership needed to balance BLM's conflicting obligations and lead the agency through these trying times," states the letter. "We ask you to appoint Mr. Abbey as Director."
Mr. Abbey has worked for the BLM at the national and state level, where he has earned a widespread reputation as being an honest and fair partner. As Nevada state director, Abbey gained hands-on experience in dealing with wildland fires, feral horses, endangered species, and other environmental concerns.
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Beef Export Outlook
It looks like there may be some good news on the horizon for U.S. beef exports. Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve announced plans to purchase $300 billion in long-term U.S. Treasury securities over the next few months.
While in the longer-term this move is likely to lead to inflation, the short-term result has been a quick decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, which should make U.S. beef exports more competitive in the global marketplace.
Between July 1, 2008 and March 17, 2009, the U.S. dollar had appreciated an incredible 40% against the Mexican peso and South Korean won and 26% against the Canadian dollar. Despite this substantial decrease in the buying power of customers in our top three markets for U.S. beef exports, U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports in January managed to remain fairly strong at 63,805 metric tons (141 million pounds) worth $222 million, compared to 63,945 metric tons worth $213 million during January 2008.
Since the announcement by the Federal Reserve, we've already seen a 2-3% movement in the opposite direction against the peso and won. While one day certainly does not indicate a trend, we will be watching this development closely in hopes that agriculture commodity futures will finally begin to rise after months of trading parallel to the stock market.
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Don't Miss NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen! Don't miss NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen, March 24- 28, as we hear from members of Congress about trade issues impacting the beef industry. We'll also learn more about drought management from the experts at Dow AgroSciences and get tips on how to manage BVD from the experts at Fort Dodge Animal Health.
NCBA'S Cattlemen to Cattlemen is now an hour long! The show debuts Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., and airs again Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday at 9 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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NATIONAL CATTLEMEN'S BEEF ASSOCIATION
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20004 | |
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