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).

Korean Market Update:  Discussions continue regarding resumption of U.S. beef exports to our key Asian markets such as Japan and Korea.  At present, focus is on inspections of U.S. plants and technical discussions between government officials to further define trade protocols.  A Korean audit team is expected to arrive in the United States next week for a tour of more than thirty processing facilities.   

Media reports this week quote Korean officials saying imports of U.S. beef to Korea could resume as early as June.  As part of their ongoing investigation into the case of BSE announced March 13 in an Alabama cow, Korean officials traveled to the United States last week to inspect the carcass and determine the exact age of the animal.  Korea has agreed it will only re-impose a ban on U.S. beef if BSE is detected in cattle born after April 1998.  The Korean ag minister verified this week the animal in question was born prior to implementation of the U.S. feed ban. 

Japanese Market Update:  Discussions are also continuing regarding trade resumption with Japan.  USDA is working on a report of U.S. beef processing facilities as requested by Japanese officials.  That report is scheduled to be completed in mid May, and then Japanese officials will visit the United States for additional tours.  Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is scheduled to visit the United States in late June.            

Appropriations and Disaster Relief:  Congress returned this week from a two-week recess, and taking center stage this week is continuing debate over emergency supplemental appropriations.  The Senate is debating H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery which contains a $4 billion disaster relief provision for agriculture operations.  President Bush has threatened to veto the package, because it exceeds the President’s budget request, and many items are unrelated to the Global War on Terror and hurricane response.  Senate conservatives are working to strip out unrequested items in the $106.5 billion bill to get the package more in line with President Bush’s request at $92.2 billion and hopefully avoid a veto.

Death Tax Vote Moves Closer:  A vote on repeal of the devastating Death Tax is scheduled in the Senate before Memorial Day recess.  NCBA members are gearing up for the vote and contacting Senators to remind them that the Death Tax forces real farming and ranching families out of business.

• “National Cattle Call to Kill the Death Tax” is Tuesday, May 9!  Mark your calendars. NCBA is coordinating a national call-in day for cattle producers to call Senators to urge support for full and permanent repeal of the Death Tax.  Join us in our cattle call!  Any Senator can be reached via the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or individual office numbers can be found at http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/109thSenateContacts.pdf.  For more information, contact Jenni Beck at jbeck@beef.org or (202) 347-0228. 
• Send letters to Senators today by clicking on http://capwiz.com/beefusa. Nothing is more effective than hearing cattle producers’ personal stories about the Death Tax! 
• Our new "HOT Issue" Death Tax web site is up and running. Check out: http://hill.beef.org/tax for NCBA's detailed information about this issue, including a sampling of ranchers’ personal stories from across the United States.

Superfund:  Cattlemen continue to urge support for H.R. 4341 in the House of Representatives.  This legislation 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 132 co-sponsors with 6 new cosponsors signed on this week.  They are Reps. Chris Chocola (R-Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), John Kline (R-Minn.), Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.).  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!

Opponents are stepping up efforts in Washington to oppose H.R. 4341 claiming farmers and ranchers want to “shirk federal pollution laws.”  NCBA points out that animal agriculture operations are subject to a comprehensive set of regulatory protection rules aimed at protecting air and water such as the federal Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.  “It was never Congress’s intent to further regulate farms and ranches under Superfund, which is designed to address toxic industrial pollution,” says NCBA Director of Environmental Issues Tamara Thies.  It’s more important than ever for cattle producers to stand up to these opponents of agriculture.  Contact your congressional representative and tell them farms and ranches aren’t Superfund sites!

Oklahoma Legislation:  In related news, a bill passed Oklahoma’s State House which seeks to clarify that livestock manure is not considered hazardous waste.  The bill, Senate Bill 1444, now must return to the state Senate for consideration of changes made by the House.  The effort is being supported by the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and other ag groups.  Oklahoma State Senator Rep. Terry Hyman told the Daily Oklahoman last week, "At the rate things are going, we'll have to slap diapers on every cow before we haul them down the road in a trailer. There's 5.4 million head of cattle and 3.2 million people in Oklahoma. If animal manure is hazardous waste, then the entire state is a hazardous-waste area."

USDA Announces MyPyramid Nutrition Education and Promotion Programs:  USDA announced April 27 their new Nutrition Education and Promotion Program partnerships designed to increase the public's knowledge of both the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid.  Among the three partnerships announced, the Naturally Nutrient Rich Coalition (NNRC) was co-founded by NCBA. Representing each of the MyPyramid food groups, the NNRC will collaborate with USDA to further nutrient density science and market research and develop messages and materials that provide consumers with information that assists them in meeting the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines. NCBA is supportive of the Dietary Guidelines’ overall theme of eating more nutrient-rich foods. Calorie-for-calorie, lean beef provides more nutrients in fewer calories than many other animal proteins.  For more information visit http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/.

Animal ID:  The United States Animal Identification Organization (USAIO) is meeting this week in Washington, April 26-27.  The USAIO is a nonprofit and independent consortium of livestock producers tasked with managing the industry-led animal movement database. The USAIO is working with every segment of the animal industry and animal health authorities to provide an effective, efficient, and inexpensive database for the national system.  USAIO Board members represent the Southeastern Livestock Network, the Northwest Pilot Project, the National Bison Association, NCBA, and Farm Bureau.

In related news, NCBA is communicating with senior USDA officials on the animal ID issue.  NCBA is increasingly concerned that USDA’s approach to animal ID – especially actions related to implementation of the premises ID system and development of the meta-data messaging system – doesn’t take into consideration the needs and interests of producers.

NCBA Comments to ITC on Korea:  NCBA submitted comments today to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on the U.S.-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA).  The ITC held a hearing last week, April 20, on the FTA and asked for comments from interested stakeholders.

NCBA is supportive of an FTA with South Korea as this market holds tremendous potential for U.S. cattlemen.  Historically, South Korea represents the third largest market for U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports at $815 million in 2003.  But this market has grown rapidly in recent years. The prospects for future growth of U.S. beef and beef variety meats into South Korea are tremendous as we reduce this tariff to zero as would be directed by an FTA.

In its comments, NCBA points to three key areas of concern that must be addressed with these negotiations:

• Full normalization of beef trade with South Korea,
• Significant initial reductions and the eventual full elimination of all tariffs on U.S. beef products, and
• Resolution of important sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues. The SPS and plant equivalency precedents now firmly established in recently negotiated FTAs are the only way to assure real and unfettered access for U.S. beef producers into the South Korean market.

A copy of NCBA’s comments to the ITC is posted at: http://hill.beef.org/newview.asp?DocumentID=16822.

Peru Update:  The Agricultural Coalition for U.S.-Peru Trade, comprised of 58 agricultural organizations, sent a letter April 20 to every member of Congress urging support of the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). The letter is part of a unified effort by the Coalition to express strong support for the trade agreement.  A copy of the letter is posted at http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/PeruAgHillLetter.pdf. 

U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Alfredo Ferrero Diez Canseco signed the PTPA April 12.  The agreement will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to goods and services and expand trade between the two nations.

The United States is Peru’s fourth largest supplier of consumer-oriented food imports.  But U.S. meat and poultry exports have enjoyed only modest success in the Peruvian market because various barriers have served as major impediments to trade.  This will change under PTPA, with tariffs on many meat, poultry and livestock products being phased out within five years.  In addition, the commitment Peru has made to recognize the U.S. meat and poultry inspection systems as “equivalent” to its own, thereby allowing imports from facilities approved by USDA, is very important to U.S. meat, poultry and livestock producers.

NCBA Hosts House Whip:  NCBA hosted a breakfast for Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo) and other ag industry leaders on Thursday morning.  Blunt currently serves as House Majority Whip, the third highest job in the House.  Representing the 7th Congressional District in southwest Missouri, Blunt serves on the House Committee on Energy & Commerce.

NAFB Events Start This Weekend:  The National Association of Farm Broadcasters Annual Washington Watch meeting begins this weekend, April 30-May 2.  Washington Watch hosts farm broadcasters from across the country in Washington for an intensive agenda of meetings with government groups, members of Congress, and industry leaders.  NCBA is participating in a number of NAFB events including: 

• NCBA, along with the American Farm Bureau Federation is co-sponsoring the NAFB luncheon on Sunday, April 30.
• NCBA will participate in the annual Issues Forum on Monday, May 1.  NCBA spokespersons will be Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt, Chief Economist Gregg Doud, and Director of Legislative Affairs Colin Woodall. 

More information is posted at http://www.nafb.com/DesktopDefault.aspx.

BSE Surveillance:  USDA’s Enhanced BSE Surveillance Program continues to test targeted animals identified as most likely to have the disease.  Since June 1, 2004, the program has tested 696,644 cattle and has found only two confirmed cases, evidence that our safeguards are working and the prevalence of BSE 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