2007 CCC Archive
Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
February 8, 2007
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.
Canada Confirms 9th BSE Case: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced February 7th that a mature bull from Alberta was confirmed positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) as part of their on-farm testing program. No part of the animal entered the human food chain or animal feed systems.
Regarding age, CFIA says “the age of the animal falls well within the age range of previous cases detected in Canada under the national BSE surveillance program. This signifies that the animal was exposed to a very small amount of infective material, most likely during its first year of life.” An epidemiological investigation is underway, and CFIA says all findings will be publicly released when the investigation concludes. In addition, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has dispatched a USDA representative to Canada to participate in the investigation.
Fate of Minimal Risk Rule Uncertain: With the latest announcement of another BSE case in Canada, there is speculation over what this will mean for USDA’s proposed rule on minimal risk regions. The USDA announced on January 4th a proposal to amend its BSE minimal risk region importation policy which will expand the trade of live cattle from Canada, providing for importation of "live cattle and other bovines for any use born on or after March 1, 1999."
In a statement today, February 8th, Secretary Mike Johanns said, “Regarding the proposed minimal risk rule that specifies additional movement of cattle and beef into the United States, we remain in an open comment period until March 12, 2007. While the risk assessment for the proposed rule factors in the possibility of additional cases, the open comment period allows for consideration of additional information that might result from this investigation."
NCBA is reviewing the proposed rule along with a detailed economic and scientific analysis developed for NCBA members as we work to shape our comments. At last week’s annual meeting in Nashville, NCBA members did not reject the USDA proposal, but adopted a policy voicing concerns about its possible impact. The interim policy adopted February 3rd demands permanent identification of all live cattle imported from Canada through harvest, and calls for USDA to develop an orderly market transition plan before expanding the scope of cattle and beef imports from Canada.
Key Convention Policy Changes: More than 6,500 cattle industry attendees were in Nashville last week for the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and participated in the policy development process. Among the key issues on which NCBA adopted new policy are renewable fuels production, country-of-origin labeling and cloning.
- Ethanol: In addition to supporting a move to a market-based approach for the production and usage of ethanol, NCBA policy supports the sunsetting of the existing blending tax credit (VEETC) and the ethanol import tariffs as scheduled, and not allowing for renewal of these subsidies in their current form. NCBA also supports input segmentation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and encourages the increase of the cellulosic segment of the RFS while holding the grain based portion level.
- Country-of-origin labeling: NCBA members believe implementation of the current federal country-of-origin labeling statute has the potential to place a great burden on domestic producers and disrupt the beef market, so NCBA policy directs NCBA to work with Congress and USDA to ensure that a country-of-origin labeling program offers maximum benefit and minimal market disruption to the U.S. beef industry.
- Cloning: Cattlemen adopted a policy supporting the further development of cloning as one of many reproductive technologies that can be used to enhance the beef industry. But they also urged all technology companies and owners of cloned animals to voluntarily keep these animals and their offspring out of the food supply until the Food and Drug Administration makes a final decision on its risk assessment.
All policies adopted are now subject to approval by approximately 28,000 NCBA members nationwide. Convention results become official only after the ballot process is completed. To read a summary of NCBA's NEW Interim Policy, visit our website at www.beefusa.org.
NCBA Elects New Officers: As part of NCBA’s Annual Meeting, a new slate of officers was elected to represent and serve NCBA membership for the next year. John Queen, of Waynesville, N.C., was elected NCBA President succeeding Missouri cattleman Mike John. “John Queen has been and continues to be involved in virtually every aspect of the beef industry and brings a complete view of the industry into a leadership role,” says NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt. “John epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit of cattlemen. NCBA members will benefit tremendously from his leadership.”
Paul Hitch, a cattle feeder from Guymon, Okla., is the new president-elect, while Andy Groseta of Cottonwood, Ariz., was chosen as vice president. Illinois cattleman Steve Fogelsong will chair the NCBA Policy Division in 2007, with Montana rancher Bill Donald serving as vice chairman.
Canada Lifts Blue Tongue Restrictions: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced February 2nd it will eliminate all bluetongue-related import restrictions on all U.S. cattle entering Canada. According to a CFIA statement, “Effective immediately, U.S. cattle can enter Canada without any bluetongue-related import requirements.” The CFIA is also reducing testing requirements for anaplasmosis, based on enhancements to diagnostic tests. Neither of these diseases poses a risk to human health.
“Cattlemen feel strongly that restrictions such as these are costly and unnecessary,” said NCBA Chief Executive Officer Terry Stokes. “So, NCBA fought long and hard on this issue. If we’re going to ask U.S. cattlemen to compete in a global economy, then our trading partners need to reciprocate and open their markets to our cattle without imposing unjustified trade barriers,” Stokes said.
Wyoming Family Wins National ESAP Honor: Thaler Land & Livestock Company is the 2006 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) National Winner, officially announced February 1st at a reception during the 2007 Cattle Industry Convention. Sponsored by NCBA, Dow AgroSciences and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the annual ESAP awards honor cattle producers whose stewardship practices are inventive, cost-effective and contribute to environmental conservation.
In spring 2006, the Thaler family was chosen as one of seven regional winners, representing NCBA’s Region V. They were nominated by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
“Over the years, the Thaler family has been an ambassador of stewardship, reaching out to educate schoolchildren, community groups, government employees, fellow producers, anyone that will listen,” noted the ESAP Selection Committee. “They have an open-door ranch, where spreading the message about stewardship is a number one priority.” More information and photographs of this award-winning operation is available on our website at www.beefusa.org/esap, or contact Jonathan Beitia jbeitia@beef.org or 202-347-0227.
ESAP Committee Now Focuses on 2007 Nominations: Now is the time to begin preparing your nomination forms for the 2007 ESAP awards! Final nomination forms are due on March 17, 2007. Any organization, group, or individual can submit a nomination on behalf of a U.S. cattle producer. Go to www.beefusa.org/esap for more information and to download an application, or contact NCBA’s Washington, D.C. office at 202-347-0228.
President Releases ‘08 Budget Proposal: President Bush submitted his Fiscal Year 2008 budget proposal on February 5th. In response, Ag Secretary Mike Johanns said the proposal meets USDA’s most important priorities, while exercising fiscal discipline to meet the President's goal to balance the budget.
"The President's agriculture budget provides important resources that are necessary to promote economic opportunities and to preserve our commitment to our farmers, ranchers, rural citizens, and families in need," said Johanns. "This budget aims to enhance our country's vibrant ag economy, advance renewable energy, protect America's food supply, improve nutrition and health, and conserve our natural resources."
NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt said the proposal meets many of the needs of cattlemen across the country. “We’re pleased that the Administration continues to acknowledge the need for work on the Death Tax and other important tax reforms,” said Truitt. “In addition, there are dollars set aside to fix many of our trade issues and continued funding for important conservation programs within the confines of the Farm Bill.”
U.S. Government Team in Korea: A team of officials representing the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA is in Korea this week to continue discussions regarding beef trade. Addressing U.S. cattlemen at last week’s Cattle Industry Convention, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns said his patience has run out with South Korea’s continued blocking of U.S. beef shipments, despite the fact that the market is supposedly open to American beef. “Korea’s (September 2006) announcement about accepting U.S. beef was all about words, not actions,” Johanns said to the applause of cattlemen. “But I’m not giving up. I’ll continue pressing this issue through all channels available and at my disposal.”
2007 Federal Grazing Fee: The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service announced February 2nd the Federal grazing fee for Western public lands will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) in 2007, down from $1.56 in 2006. The newly adjusted fee, determined by a congressional formula and effective on March 1, applies to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and more than 8,000 permits administered by the Forest Service. Jeff Eisenberg, NCBA’s director of federal lands and executive director of the Public Lands Council said “We support the operation of the grazing fee formula. The actual fee changes year to year depending on the price of cattle, production costs, land rents and other factors. Since producers’ costs went up this year, the fee went down slightly.” More information is posted at www.blm.gov.
Conservation Meeting: NCBA’s Director of Legislative Affairs Stacey Katseanes is at the annual meeting of the National Association of Conservation Districts, February 4-8 in Los Angeles. Stacey spoke on the program at Wednesday’s general session as part of a panel discussion on “Power of Communication, Collaboration and Coalitions.” More information is posted at www.nacdnet.org/meetings.
TV Audiences Rave About NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen: NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen provides weekly news and features for cattle producers across the country. Since our premiere episode aired earlier this week, viewers are hearing from leaders in every segment of the cattle and beef industries, plus top government officials and newsmakers on Capitol Hill. Make sure YOU tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on channel RFD-TV, Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. The show is rebroadcast on Wednesdays at 4:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m. All times are Eastern. Visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org for more information!
NCBA Begins Prep for Spring Conference: With NCBA staff returning home from Nashville following last week’s Annual Convention, attention now turns to planning and preparation for NCBA’s Spring Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., March 26-30. Each year, hundreds of NCBA’s most politically-active members come to Washington for a week of intensive one-on-one meetings with members of Congress and agency officials. This conference examines in-depth the wide scope of policy issues NCBA works on every day including farm policy, trade, food safety and nutrition, federal lands issues, air and water issues, and tax reform.
Media Contact:
Tanya Augustson Camarra or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228, tacamarra@beef.org or kbatra@beef.org.
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