Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: April 22, 2004

The 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 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Unwarranted, Unscientific BSE Testing: Members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association have spent a lifetime working to produce the safest beef in the world for U.S. consumers. This beef is not only served in homes around the world, it’s served in our own homes to our own families. For decades, U.S. cattle producers and the USDA have led prevention and surveillance programs for BSE with the utmost dedication. The question of using 100 percent testing as a private company’s marketing tool continues to disrupt government-to-government discussions on restoring trade for U.S. beef, and imposes economic stress on all U.S. cattle producers. On behalf of America’s beef producers, the NCBA believes it is critically important the U.S. government retain oversight for animal health and food safety, as well as international trade negotiations as we try to regain access to export markets that closed to U.S. beef after the December 23 discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

All cattle producers are suffering loss from closed export markets, but we cannot solve this by erroneously caving to unscientific trade barriers. Testing of all cattle is not scientifically justified and the U.S. cannot compromise the science that serves as the basis for food safety and global trade of safe food. A departure from science-based decision making would create a precedent for future regulations and trade demands that would negatively impact U.S. cattlemen without protecting public or animal health. The world’s leading experts in animal health and risk analysis have agreed that testing all cattle does not provide additional protection for consumers. We strongly support a targeted BSE surveillance program that tests older animals and those in high-risk categories that are susceptible to this disease. Science should continue to be the universal standard for international trade.

Earth Day is Everyday for Cattlemen: Since 1970, April 22 marks the time for special celebrations across the country dedicated to environmental education, action and change. Today is Earth Day 2004. Sometimes overlooked and underappreciated for their life-long dedication to the environment, cattlemen are America’s original stewards of the land. Cattlemen depend on the land and its resources for their livelihood.  Therefore, good management demands that they care for the environment for their own welfare as well as for future generations.  Cattlemen, as individuals and as an industry, are actively working to protect and improve the environment because they know environmental stewardship and good business go hand-in-hand. 

On this Earth Day 2004, NCBA asks you to take the time to help spread the positive story of the environmental efforts and dedication of cattlemen. For 14 years, we’ve run an established award program, called the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP), which honors exceptional environmentalists on their operations. Each year, the selection committee has a tough time picking winners from the impressive array of cattle families from across the nation. The ESAP was established in 1991 by the NCBA and is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, LLC, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. If you know cattlemen in your area who are exceptional stewards of the land, contact Megan Tipton at NCBA, 202-347-0228.

Media Note on Earth Day: Broadcast-quality video footage of these beautiful ranches and interviews with the families at work for "Earth Day, Every Day" is available for a feature story. Please contact Tanya Augustson at NCBA, 202-347-0228, to inquire about this video.

Japanese Trade: NCBA is optimistic there will be progress in negotiations with the Japanese government over their ban on U.S. beef imports since December 23. An interagency team of government officials is again heading to Tokyo today for meetings over the weekend on this top-priority trade issue. The U.S. delegation is led by J.B. Penn, U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary. In last week's meetings with Japanese officials, Vice President Dick Cheney urged Japanese agricultural officials to lift the ban on U.S. beef imports.

Chinese Trade:  USDA Secretary Ann Veneman announced this week that China will re-open some trade for U.S. beef products, specifically export trade in embryos, semen and tallow.  Secretary Veneman and U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick held a press briefing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to outline the details of recent discussions between the U.S. government and Chinese government officials. Veneman mentioned that a priority in these discussions was an immediate request that China open its market to U.S. beef and beef products. Further technical discussions on trade issues among experts are planned, and the Administration says these further talks will enable normal trade to resume on other beef and beef products. USDA data estimates that consumption of beef in China has increased more than 30 percent just in the last five years. NCBA will continue to fight for the full re-opening of all export markets for U.S. beef and beef products.

Canadian Trade: Canada’s Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale will be in Washington D.C. this week to attend a series of financial meetings with U.S. and international officials, including U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow. According to press reports, Minister Goodale publicly chided those lobbying to keep the U.S. border closed to Canadian cattle, stating "What goes around comes around," warning that a continued border closure was not based on science, and "sometime in the future someone else may be trying to skew a process politically that would work to the Americans’ disfavor." In a letter to Senator Daschle and other senators who wrote Secretary Veneman, Canadian Ambassador Michael Kergin wrote "it is clear that the single most effective control to ensure protection of animal health from BSE is the feed ban and the single most effective control to ensure protection of human health is the removal of specified risk material (SRM) from human food. On both of these counts, Canadian and U.S. control policies and practices are virtually identical." On April 7, NCBA submitted comments to the USDA regarding U.S. imports of live cattle from Canada. We now have word that around 1,500 comments were submitted on this issue. This enormous response should take quite a bit of time for USDA to sort through.

Animal ID: NCBA staff continued to meet with Congressional staff members on the issue of Animal Identification this week. Also this week, NCBA attended a press event where Agriculture Department Chief Economist Keith Collins addressed questions about a voluntary Animal ID system. Collins was quoted as saying the USDA will implement a voluntary system of national animal identification this summer. According to press reports, Collins said the USDA estimates the program will cost $550 million over five years. Collins noted that there would be various ways for producers to provide identification information to the government, from a paper document to a scanning device. He also addressed concerns about producer confidentiality.

Nutrition Labeling Policy: Members of NCBA’s nutrition team were in Washington D.C. this week for meetings with industry to prepare for the final rule on nutrition labeling for meat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is extending for 60 days the comment period for an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) from July 11, 2003 on trans fat. This ANPR was published to solicit information and data on trans fatty acids (trans fat) in order to help draft a proposed rule on trans fat. FDA has scheduled a Food Advisory Committee (FAC) Nutrition Subcommittee meeting for April 27 and 28, 2004. The outcome of this meeting may help determine the course of action for trans fat labeling. FDA is extending the comment period to receive comments that consider the information resulting from this upcoming meeting specific to this ANPRM and trans fat labeling. NCBA will submit comments by the deadline, June 18, 2004.

Feedlot Tour for Congress: This Friday, NCBA and members of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) will be conducting a feedlot and plant tour for the Congressional Food Safety Caucus and U.S. Representatives Neugebauer (R-TX), Stenholm (D-TX), and DeLauro (D-CT).  The tour will take place in Hale Center and Plainview, TX. The bipartisan Congressional Food Safety Caucus provides a forum for Members of Congress to address the issue of foodborne illness and the emerging challenges in food safety, such as globalization and the susceptibility of our food supply to a bioterrorist attack. This tour is an educational opportunity conducted by cattle producers and members to better educate Members of Congress on the food production system and livestock operations.

Death Tax: NCBA met with fellow members of the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition (FBETC) this week to discuss strategies for the continued fight for permanent repeal of the onerous Death Tax. Lisa Wolski, Tax Counsel for Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) spoke to the coalition on the status of the Death Tax and plans to move repeal of the Death Tax closer by one year to 2009 continuing into 2010. Cattlemen have long supported full repeal of the Death Tax which has historically prevented many ranching families from passing their operations on to the next generation.

Air Quality: NCBA continues to meet with the Environmental Protection Agency and others in Washington D.C. to discuss air quality concerns for cattle producers, and is setting up meetings with the Administration to discuss particulate matter.

Tax Relief Facts from USDA: Secretary Veneman has released an analysis illustrating the benefits received by America’s farmers and ranchers from the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 and additional Bush Administration tax policies. According to Veneman, the tax relief continues to yield enormous benefits for farm and ranch families across the country. USDA economists calculate that the changes have provided about $4 billion in tax reductions for farms and ranches in 2003. USDA predicts that an additional $4 billion will be saved in 2004. When releasing the analysis, Veneman highlighted the need for repeal of the Death Tax, in order to provide long-term stability for operations. For a copy of the USDA economic analysis, go to www.usda.gov.

NCBA Speaks to Ag Journalists:  Gregg Doud, NCBA’s Chief Economist, spoke at the Spring meeting of North American Agricultural Journalists in Beltsville, Maryland. Doud was part of a panel discussing aspects of BSE, and spoke about how the single case of BSE on December 23 has affected cattle producers nationwide. Fellow panelists included top representatives from government agencies.

Media Contact:

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

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