Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
October 16, 2008

Contact: Heather Vaughan, 202-347-0228, or hvaughan@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.

Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns Redesign:

Beginning next week, Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns will be coming to you in a new format.  The e-newsletter should be easier to read, with clickable headings that take you directly to articles of interest.  If you have trouble receiving CCC in the new format, please email Heather Vaughan at hvaughan@beef.org. 

NCBA Releases Statement on WTO Report on EU Ban of Hormone-Treated Beef:

NCBA President Andy Groseta released the following statement today, in response to at World Trade Organization report: “The members that comprise the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcome today’s report by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body regarding the European Union’s (EU) unwarranted ban on beef treated with growth hormones.

“This report validates the additional duties the United States (U.S.) imposes on certain EU products in order to balance the trade disparity caused by the EU ban on hormone-treated beef.  The ban, which has been in place for more than 20 years, is scientifically unjustified and fails to satisfy the requirements of the WTO agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.  The EU claims that amendments made to the ban in 2003 bring them into compliance with WTO trade requirements.  However, the ban continues to prohibit beef treated with hormones, pending the availability of further scientific evidence. 

“In fact, numerous U.S. and international scientific studies have shown that the U.S. cattle industry produces safe and wholesome beef. The growth promotants used in cattle production are vigorously tested by the Food and Drug Administration for safety – both for the animals’ well-being and for the trace amounts that may be in meat consumed by humans.  The hormones, many of which occur naturally in other foods, have all been proven safe.

“Growth-promoting hormones help stimulate growth by increasing the efficiency in which feed is converted to muscle. Certain products, when administered to animals in very small amounts, supplement cattle’s natural hormone production and improve growth rates by allowing the animal to produce more muscle and less fat. This helps the industry produce leaner beef for consumers.

“The EU is an important market for U.S. beef products, having rapidly emerged as one of the world's largest net beef importing countries in recent years after being a net exporter earlier this decade.  Despite this unscientific trade restriction, the EU will be a key market for in 2008 with U.S. beef exports projected to exceed $100 million.

“The cattle producers of NCBA are committed to producing high-quality, safe, and healthy beef.  Consumers the world over can be confident about purchasing and consuming American beef products. NCBA appreciates the WTO Appellate Body’s recognition that trade must be based on internationally accepted, science-based standards.” 

NCBA, PLC, ASI Submit Comments on Endangered Species Act:

In conjunction with the Public Lands Council (PLC) and the American Sheep Industry (ASI), NCBA is submitted comments this week to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regarding proposed changes to Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation regulations. 

On August 15, the FWS and National Marine Fisheries Service proposed to amend Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7 consultation regulations.  The proposal is intended to streamline procedures for gaining FWS approval of authorizations issued by other federal agencies—such as grazing permits—that can impact endangered species.

While NCBA, PLC, and ASI continue to believe further improvements to the administration of the ESA are needed, this Proposed Rule is a meaningful first step.  In the comments, we ask that section 7 implementing regulations are clarified so that the ESA is not manipulated by parties seeking to influence the ongoing debate about greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. 

The PLC and NCBA have long worked on ESA reform to minimize the burden the law imposes on our members’ operations.  The Administration’s proposal falls far short of earlier administrative and legislative proposals for simplifying implementation of the Act.  Still, the current proposal streamlines the consultation process, which will be of benefit to our members with operations dependent in part on federal authorizations.

Forest Service Developing Plan for Domestic/Bighorn Sheep:

This week, ASI and PLC met with the Forest Service regarding its proposal to study how much private (base property and other) land federal sheep permittees control. The purpose of the study is to equip the Forest Service to help identify the environmental services provided by sheep producers as it engages the demand from some members of the public to eliminate domestic sheep grazing on public lands.

Very preliminary information that has yet to be verified indicates that bighorn sheep occupy roughly 66 million acres in the western states. Of this number, 23 million acres are controlled by the FS. Of this number, 1 million acres overlap with domestic sheep allotments. These 1 million acres are controlled by about 60 permittees. The FS believes, or is hoping, that it will be able to support both bighorns and domestic sheep but wants to gather the facts to support the arguments to do so.

To this end, PLC and ASI were asked whether we could collect the number of private

(base property and other) acres controlled by each of the 60 permittees. The collected information would not be retained by personal identifier. We are working to collect this data for the FS, and are hopeful that this process will be a positive step toward solving the unacceptable action of domestic sheep allotments being shut down.

NCBA Participates in Second OIE Global Conference on Animal Welfare:

NCBA’s Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Parker, will attend the Second World Animal Health Organization (OIE) Global Conference on Animal Welfare in Cairo, Egypt from October 20 through 22.  The conference will examine global standards for livestock transport, livestock slaughter for human consumption, and livestock depopulation for disease control.  Additionally, the conference is intended to give animal welfare issues greater prominence. 

The first OIE Global Conference on Animal Welfare was held in Paris in 2004.  The 400 participants in that meeting helped implement international animal welfare standards by 168 nations.

NCBA Participates in Meeting on Animal Raising Claims:

FSIS evaluates animal raising claims by considering information on animal production practices submitted by companies as part of their label approval requests. However, recent events concerning labeling claims related to the use of antibiotics in the raising of poultry have led the Agency to question its ability to verify that labels of meat and poultry products that contain animal raising claims are truthful and not misleading.

Dr. Elizabeth Parker, NCBA’s chief veterinarian, attended on behalf of NCBA, and will be submitting comments to FSIS regarding animal raising claims. 

NCBA recognizes the need for transparent, consistent, and uniform standards for voluntary marketing programs and supports marketing or labeling claims that distinguish the uniqueness of a product aimed towards a particular consumer desire – including product characteristics that are based on production methods.  NCBA does not support claims that are either false or misleading to the consumer or claims that disparage one type of beef product for the perceived gain of another. All U.S. beef is safe, wholesome and of the highest quality, and USDA should defend all products equally.

In our comments, we will make it clear that if the federal government is going to establish marketing/labeling criteria for a specific production practice or processing practice, then it should be clear across the federal government. NCBA encourages the government to harmonize this effort across all agencies and Departments that have jurisdiction over meat product marketing labels.

APHIS and CDC Issue Bioterrorism Agent and Toxin List:

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a final rule amending the list of agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to animal or plant health.  The full list is below.

Note: Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) select agents and toxins are those that have been determined to have the potential to pose a severe threat to plant health or plant products. Veterinary Services (VS) select agents and toxins are those that have been determined to have the potential to pose a severe threat to animal health or animal products. Overlap select agents and toxins are those that have been determined to pose a severe threat to both human and animal health or animal products. Overlap select agents are subject to regulation by both APHIS and CDC.

PPQ select agents and toxins
Candidatus Liberobacter africanus (Candidatus Liberibacter africanus)
Candidatus Liberobacter americanus (Candidatus Liberibacter americanus)
Peronosclerospora philippinensis (Peronosclerospora sacchari)
Phoma glycinicola (formerly Pyrenochaeta glycines)
Phytophthora kernoviae
Ralstonia solanacearum, race 3, biovar 2
Rathayibacter toxicus
Sclerophthora rayssiae var. zeae
Synchytrium endobioticum
Xanthomonas oryzae
Xylella fastidiosa (citrus variegated chlorosis strain)

VS select agents and toxins
African horse sickness virus
African swine fever virus
Akabane virus
Avian influenza virus (highly pathogenic)
Bluetongue virus (exotic)
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent
Camel pox virus
Classical swine fever virus
Ehrlichia ruminantium (Heartwater)
Foot-and-mouth disease virus
Goat pox virus
Japanese encephalitis virus
Lumpy skin disease virus
Malignant catarrhal fever virus (Alcelaphine herpesvirus type 1)
Menangle virus
Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (contagious caprine pleuropneumonia)
Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony (MmmSC) (contagious bovine pleuropneumonia)
Peste des petits ruminants virus
Rinderpest virus Sheep pox virus
Swine vesicular disease virus
Vesicular stomatitis virus (exotic)
Virulent Newcastle disease virus

Overlap select agents and toxins
Bacillus anthracis
Brucella abortus
Brucella melitensis
Brucella suis
Burkholderia mallei
Burkholderia pseudomallei
Hendra virus
Nipah virus
Rift Valley fever virus
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

EPA Advisory Board Holds Hearings on Nitrogen Emissions:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scientific Advisory Board’s Integrated Nitrogen Committee is holding a hearing on October 20th and 21st on the effects of reactive nitrogen in the environment.  The study will make recommendations on nitrogen management, which could potentially impact the regulation of emissions from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). 

For more information, please visit: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/SABPRODUCT.NSF/81e39f4c09954fcb85256ead006be86e/c83c30afa4656bea85256ea10047e1e1!OpenDocument

Don't Miss the Award-Winning NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen: 

Don’t miss NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen! On the show airing from October 14th through October 19th we learn about how implants can add more to the bottom-line of your operation.  Plus, we spend a day in the life of a Texas cattlewoman and hear why she had an exceptionally fruitful trip to the NCBA Trade Show in Reno, Nevada. 

Next, from October 21st through October 26th we head to South Dakota to learn more about how proper weed management this fall will lead to greener pastures in the spring.  Plus, we’ll bring you part one of our series on the program Walk A Mile in My Boots.  And we’ll have a great beef recipe perfect for football season!

NCBA’S Cattlemen to Cattlemen debuts Tuesday 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 CattlemenToCattlemen.org.

NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV provides weekly news and features for cattle producers across the country. It airs every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, with repeat episodes on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Sundays at midnight (all times Eastern).

The program’s sponsors include Purina Mills, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer Animal Health and McDonald’s. 

For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.

###