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).

Senate Pushes Wildfire Relief for Ranchers:  The Senate Appropriations Committee passed legislation on April 4 calling for disaster funding to be made available to farmers and ranchers who have experienced losses from the 2006 wildfires in the Texas Panhandle region, as well as funding for those hit by drought and additional funding for hurricane relief. The measure, which includes $611 million for wildfire recovery assistance, was inserted in the Emergency Hurricane Supplemental bill by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and passed the committee by a vote of 27-1. 

“The recent wildfires in Texas took direct aim at the livelihood of our many ranchers and farmers.  It is critical they have access to this funding,” Sen. Hutchison said.  The Emergency Hurricane Supplemental bill was originally intended to provide support for losses incurred in 2005, primarily as a result of the hurricanes.  Hutchison worked with Agriculture and Appropriations Committee members to insert language that allows farmers and ranchers who have experienced losses from the 2006 wildfires to be eligible for assistance as well.  The package is expected to be considered by the full Senate the week of April 24, and conference on a final bill could be completed before Memorial Day recess.

China Update: The U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) is meeting next week, April 11. Established in 1983, the JCCT is a government-to-government consultative mechanism that provides a forum to resolve trade concerns and promote bilateral commercial opportunities.  A state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled for April 20. 

President George W. Bush has said he will press President Hu to use fairer trade practices and mentioned U.S. beef as one of the areas of concern. "I will make it clear, of course, to the president that our relationship is vital on a variety of fronts. One such front is the economy, and we expect that country to treat us fairly," he said. "We believe that we grow pretty good crops and grow good beef and perhaps it's in their interest to open up their markets to our agricultural products," he said.

Congressional Schedule:  This is Congress’s last week in town before the two week Spring recess begins next week.  Congress will return to Washington on April 25th.   

Superfund:  H.R. 4341 continues to gain momentum 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 121 co-sponsors with 26 new cosponsors signed on since last week! 

They are:  Reps. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), Rodney Alexander (R-La.), Kenny Marchant (R-Texas), John Mica (R-Fla.), Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.), Ron Lewis (R-Ken.), Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Mark Foley (R-Fla.), Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), Steve Pearce (R-N.M.), Joseph Pitts (R-Penn.), Elton Gallegly (R-Cal.), Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), Howard Coble (R-N.C.), James Walsh (R-N.Y.), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), and Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

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:  NCBA expects the Senate to consider legislation to permanently repeal the Death Tax before the end of May.  Cattlemen can assist with this effort by contacting Senators and reminding them of the need to repeal this devastating tax. 

• 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! 

Animal ID:  Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced April 6 USDA’s implementation plan that outlines timelines and benchmarks for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), along with a plan for integration of private and state animal tracking databases.

Kentucky cow-calf producer Charles Miller chairs the United States Animal Identification Organization (USAIO) and agrees that livestock producers need access to a reliable animal movement database. “That is why USAIO was created,” said Miller. 

The USAIO is a nonprofit, independent consortium made up of producers representing industry and species groups and regional identification networks.  The USAIO is tasked with managing the day-to-day operation of a national multi-species animal tracking database as part of a national animal identification effort.  Pilot projects have been underway in 17 states in the Northwest and Southeast since January 2005, and the USAIO reports that it has successfully completed its Beta testing phase.

“Our beta-testing phase has been extremely successful,” says Miller. “This gives us great confidence that the system is ready to receive live data from livestock producers.  We are ready to provide this important tool to the nation’s farmers and ranchers.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation announced March 31 the selection of their representative on the board of the (USAIO).  Don Shawcroft, vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau and an Alamosa area rancher, will represent Farm Bureau on the USAIO along with Bob Smith representing NCBA, Lance Kuck, representing the National Bison Association, Rick Stott, representing the Northwest Pilot Project, and Board Chairman Miller, representing the Southeastern Livestock Network.

Peru and Thailand Free Trade Agreements:  NCBA is monitoring major developments in Thailand and Peru which could impact pending trade agreements with those countries.  Negotiations on a U.S.-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) ceased in February 2006 after political upheaval in that country.  A call for early elections in Thailand created an unstable political environment for continued negotiations on the U.S.-Thailand FTA. Although Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed victory in the April 2 election, he announced April 4 that he plans to resign amid mass protests by party opponents.  Shinawatra was a strong supporter of the FTA, so his resignation and the uncertainty surrounding Thailand’s government will prolong the postponement of negotiations. 

There is speculation that a similar situation could occur in Peru.  The U.S. and Peru concluded negotiations December 7, 2005. Now, both the U.S. Congress and the government of Peru must approve and ratify the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Act (TPA), respectively.  Peru’s elections will be held this weekend, April 9.  The outcome of Peru’s Presidential elections could hold the key to whether or not the Peru TPA gets ratified quickly or gets put on hold.

Honduras and Nicaragua Implementing CAFTA on April 1:  U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Portman announced that Honduras and Nicaragua will implement the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) effective April 1.  Honduras and Nicaragua join El Salvador and the United States as countries that have fully implemented the agreement.

The United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua signed the CAFTA-DR in August 2004. All but Costa Rica have ratified the Agreement. Guatemala and the Dominican Republic have ratified the agreement but are continuing to iron out unresolved issues prior to implementation.

Implementing legislation for the CAFTA-DR passed the U.S. Senate in June 2005 and the House of Representatives in July 2005 and was signed by the President in August 2005. El Salvador was the first country to enter into force on March 1, 2006. With the entry into force with Honduras and Nicaragua, the U.S. now has the CAFTA-DR agreement implemented with three countries.

Byrne Named “Livestock Man of the Year”:  California cattleman and Public Lands Council President Mike Byrne will be honored at this week’s Grand National Rodeo, Horse & Stock Show as 2006 Livestock Man of the Year.  Byrne will receive the award at an evening event at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, Cal. on April 13.  Sponsors of the award, the California Chamber of Commerce, say they are privileged to recognize Mike for his “exceptional contributions to the California livestock industry,” and specifically for his “leadership, outreach, and communication in conserving the Klamath Basin.” Members of the California Chamber of Commerce vote for the Livestock Man of the Year award, and only one winner is selected each year.  Congratulations Mike!  The Grand National Rodeo, Horse & Stock Show runs April 7 - 15, 2006.  Visit www.cowpalace.com for more information.

NCBA Hosts Western Oklahoma Young Farmers:   NCBA’s Director of Legislative Affairs Colin Woodall spoke April 4 to a group representing the Western Oklahoma Young Farmers program.  Sponsored by Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, the Western Oklahoma Young Farmers program is aimed at developing future leaders of the Oklahoma Agriculture industry. 

Coarse Particulate Matter: NCBA is asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend their deadline for public comments on whether or not to regulate coarse particulate matter (“coarse PM”) under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of the Clean Air Act.  Originally set for April 17, NCBA says EPA must allow appropriate time for review of new scientific studies dealing with fine and coarse PM and then analyze before comments are due. There is a preliminary list of 180 new studies on particulate matter that the EPA will be reviewing, all since 2002. NCBA is also working to help states and individual producers develop comments to submit to the EPA.

BSE Surveillance:  USDA’s Enhanced BSE Surveillance Program continues, having tested over half million high-risk animals for BSE since June 1, 2004.  As of today, the program has tested 675,418 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.

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