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).

China Commits to Resuming Beef Trade:  China said this week it will reopen its market to U.S. beef exports and address a number of other trade concerns.  Following the meeting of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) on April 11, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, Trade Ambassador Rob Portman, and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez issued a joint press release indicating that China agreed to reopen its market to U.S. beef exports and launch negotiations to join the WTO government procurement agreement.

These actions have resulted from months of discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials and a push by industry to resolve these issues with China.  The Chinese market holds great potential for America’s cattle producers.

Hundreds of U.S. cattle producers were in Washington March 27-31 for NCBA’s Spring Legislative Conference and many of their discussions with lawmakers focused on the importance of resolving trade issues with China.  Just last week, 28 members of the House Beef Caucus and 21 senators sent a letter to President Bush asking that he push for the ‘fair treatment of America’s beef and beef products in the Chinese market.’

NCBA said in a statement April 11 “We are pleased with the progress U.S. and Chinese officials appear to be making based on today’s meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). Our expectation is that technical teams will begin to meet immediately to formalize the terms of trade based on standards outlined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). We hope significant progress will be made on these issues before the state visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao on April 20.”

Canada Announces Inconclusive BSE Test Result: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced April 13 an inconclusive test result for a cow they tested for BSE. The sample has been sent to Canada’s national laboratory in Winnipeg for further testing.  Results are expected to be confirmed in a few days and more details will be known at that time. In the meantime, we know that no part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems.

Sage Grouse: The Gunnison Sage Grouse of Colorado and Utah will not be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced April 12.  FWS also said they will remove the species from the candidate list.

Mitch King, director of FWS’s Mountain-Prairie Region said the decision was made based on the best available scientific and commercial information, including a recent population trend study.  “Finding no evidence of substantial threats, the Service has determined the Gunnison Sage Grouse does not need the protection of the ESA,” said King.

This announcement is a success for ranchers and landowners who have worked to promote conservation of the Gunnison Sage Grouse and its rangeland habitat.  Rancher Tim Lehman of Powderhorn, Colo. in the Gunnison Basin says, “We organized a group in my county and took it upon ourselves to do on-the-ground habitat improvements.”  FWS says that good stewardship by landowners such as Lehman and his neighbors represent practices that will help to conserve species.  NCBA and the Public Lands Council applaud the conservation efforts of our members and other private landowners. 

Congressional Schedule:  Congress is out for Spring recess.  They are scheduled to return to Washington on April 25.

Superfund:  Support for H.R. 4341 continues to grow in the House of Representatives as cattlemen urge support for legislation that will clarify that manure is not considered a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA/Superfund regulations). This bill now has 126 co-sponsors with 5 new cosponsors signed on since last week!  They are:  Reps. Daniel Lungren, (R-Cal.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chris Cannon (R-Utah), Ed Whitfield, (R-Ken.), and Joel Hefley (R-Colo.).  Visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa to see a full list of cosponsors.  If your Representative is not yet listed, send a message to them asking them to sign on!

Death Tax:  A vote on repeal of the devastating Death Tax is scheduled in the Senate before Memorial Day recess.  Cattlemen can assist with this effort by contacting Senators and reminding them that the Death Tax forces real farming and ranching out of business when a family member dies.

• Senators will be at home on recess April 10-21. This is the perfect time to contact them at their local offices.  Are they holding town hall meetings or attending other events in your community?  Talk to them about this issue in person!
• Mark your calendar for the “National Cattle Call to Kill the Death Tax” on Tuesday, May 9!  NCBA is coordinating a national call-in day for cattle producers to call their Senators to voice support for full and permanent repeal of the Death Tax.  For more information, contact Jenni Beck at jbeck@beef.org or (202) 347-0228.  Stay tuned for more information!
• Send letters to Senators by clicking on http://capwiz.com/beefusa. Detailed information and analysis on the issue is available as well.
• Producers are asked to submit their story to NCBA and take our 2006 Death Tax Survey at http://hill.beef.org/tax.  Nothing is more effective or memorable than hearing a cattleman’s personal story about how the Death Tax has affected their family and their businesses! 

Biotechnology Conference:  The Biotechnology Industry Organization Association hosted its Annual Convention, “Bio 2006” this week, April 9-12, in Chicago.  NCBA’s Director of Food Policy Leah Wilkinson participated in the panel discussion on “Livestock Cloning: Producer Applications, Consumer Benefits,” on April 11.  The panel brought together producer representatives to explain the potential use of the technology to provide consistent, quality products for consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to release its risk assessment on the safety of clones and the offspring of clones in the food supply sometime this Spring.  For more information visit www.bio.org.

Informa Conference:  NCBA participated in Informa Economics' 14th Annual Washington Policy Conference, April 12-13.  Under the Theme, “The Next Farm Bill: Defining Priorities and Preparing for Change,” the conference featured agency and Congressional leaders and ag experts from the academic and media communities.  Keynote speaker was Richard Crowder, chief agriculture trade negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.  Discussions focused on national, economic, agricultural trade and budget policy issues, as well as specific policy options for the 2007 Farm Bill.  Visit www.informaecon.com for more information.

Farm Foundation Farm Bill Forum:  NCBA participated in a Farm Bill Forum hosted by Farm Foundation April 12.  This month’s forum focused on “Goals and Objectives of the Next Farm Bill.”   Speakers included Cal Dooley, President, Food Products Association, and Luther Tweeten, Ohio State University. As discussions in Washington turn to development of the 2007 Farm Bill, Farm Foundation is organizing a series of forums to engage stakeholders in dialogue on food and agricultural policies. For more information, visit www.farmfoundation.org.

BSE Surveillance:  USDA’s Enhanced BSE Surveillance Program continues having already tested over half million high-risk animals for BSE since June 1, 2004.  As of today, the program has tested 682,552 targeted animals at highest risk for BSE and has found only two confirmed cases, evidence that our safeguards are working and the prevalence of this disease in the U.S. is extremely low.  Testing 268,500 animals can detect BSE at a rate of 1 in 10 million adult cattle at a 99 percent confidence level. 

Visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse_testing/test_results.html for more information.

Media Contact:
Tanya Augustson or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228; taugustson@beef.org or kbatra@beef.or