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).

Extension for EPA CAFO Rule Still Unfair for Cattlemen:  The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week they will extend the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit application deadlines for confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) and implementation of nutrient management plan (NMP) deadlines to July 31, 2007. 

NCBA comments submitted January 20 urged the EPA to consider a more reasonable deadline of “no sooner than one year after EPA approval of an individual CAFO’s NPDES permit, including an EPA-approved NMP.”  NCBA says this is unlikely to occur prior to May 2009 or May 2010, so the decision to extend the deadline to July 2007 is wholly inadequate.

The EPA has not yet promulgated a final rule, and they expect cattlemen to speculate on how to comply. There is much confusion about cattle producers’ responsibilities under the Act, and EPA needs to clarify for producers what is expected of them.  Otherwise, many cattle producers may be forced to unnecessarily alter parts of their operations to meet as yet undetermined permitting requirements. For some, the financial investment required could be substantial.

EPA Spill Prevention Rule:  NCBA, as part of the Agriculture Coalition on the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC), will submit comments February 10 to the EPA on their SPCC proposed rule. 

The coalition’s comments state that much uncertainty still surrounds the applicability, deadlines, costs to implement, and definitions of both farm and agribusiness under the 2005 SPCC proposed rule, and the coalition is asking EPA to extend the compliance requirement for agriculture operations indefinitely.  EPA itself has acknowledged in its own words, “the unique characteristics of farms pose particular challenges to SPCC compliance and that further consideration of the requirements as they relate to farms is warranted.”  NCBA’s comments will also point out there is less than a one percent spill history with regard to agriculture.

The coalition also sent a letter to EPA on January 11 detailing these concerns.  The letter was signed by representatives from 140 national, state and industry organizations from around the country. 

Congressional Schedule:  Focus in Congress this week was on the President’s fiscal year 2007 budget which calls for reductions in discretionary spending and the elimination of hundreds of existing programs.  Congress is reviewing Bush’s $2.7 trillion budget which aims to reduce the federal deficit and extend tax cuts beyond their 2010 deadline while raising funding levels for defense and national security.  The President’s tax policies are good news for cattlemen and small business owners, but reductions in farm program funding are likely to be felt when Congress begins development of the 2007 Farm Bill.  The Senate Budget Committee began hearings on the budget this week.

NCBA Leadership Testifies at NC Field Hearing on Farm Bill:  John Queen, North Carolina cattle producer and NCBA president-elect, testified February 6 before 16 members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee at a field hearing in Fayetteville, N.C.  A second hearing took place in Auburn, Ala., February 7.  Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) says the field hearings are part of a series the committee will convene this year as Congress works toward development of the 2007 Farm Bill.  “The feedback we receive from our producers will give us a good sense of how our farm policies work in practice and what improvements can be made,” says Goodlatte.

Programs important to cattlemen - in the areas of conservation, trade, marketing, research, energy production, property rights, tax policy and animal identification - are all being evaluated in Farm Bill discussions.  While members and state affiliates are still building NCBA’s specific priorities, Queen emphasized the need to follow these key philosophies as guiding principles in the formation of the next Farm Bill:  limited government involvement, individual choice in the management of resources, open and fair access to foreign markets, and policies which don’t favor one producer or commodity over another.

Korean Delegation Visits NCBA Friday: A delegation of Korean cattle producers and agriculture industry leaders are in Washington D.C. this week and will meet with NCBA staff on February 10. The U.S. government announced February 2 it will launch negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, historically one of the largest export markets for U.S. beef.  In 2003 alone, this export market for U.S. cattle producers was valued at over $815 million – our third largest export market. NCBA supports the launch of this FTA with South Korea but expects to see the full re-opening of this market to all U.S. beef, significant reductions of Korea’s tariffs, and resolution of important sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues.

NCBA has joined 97 other trade associations and companies as a member of the U.S. - Korea FTA Business Coalition.  The Coalition recently sent Ambassador Portman a letter supporting the launch of the negotiations, which is posted on NCBA's website at  http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/02-02-06PortmanLetter.pdf.

Johanns Hopeful on Japan Trade: In remarks last week at the 2006 Cattle Industry Convention in Denver, Ag Secretary Mike Johanns called Japan’s resumed ban on U.S. beef products a “temporary setback,” and said he aims to complete the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) investigations and implement the necessary recommendations expeditiously.  “International standards in regards to BSE and trade are very clear, and we are committed to making decisions based on those standards,” Johanns said.  “However, in the case of Japan, we have actually gone beyond that.” But Johanns is firm about wanting to avoid sanctions.  “We’re going to do everything we can to resolve the situation with Japan,” said Johanns.  “I hope we don’t need sanctions.”

Columbia/Panama Free Trade Agreements: NCBA voiced concerns this week about Colombia and Panama’s refusal, to date, to make written commitments recognizing the U.S. meat inspection system as equivalent during FTA negotiations. NCBA and other agriculture groups sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman February 8 expressing gratitude for the outstanding package negotiated for U.S. producers in the recently completed FTA with Peru. The letter asks that the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) commitments made by Peru set a standard for all future U.S. FTAs.  A copy of the Peru FTA SPS side letter can be found at   http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/PeruFTAsideletter.pdf.

NCBA remains deeply troubled by reports that, even at this late date in the FTA negotiations, Colombia and Panama each still refuse to provide a commitment to accept meat and poultry from all USDA approved facilities.  The failure of these nations to recognize the U.S. meat inspection system will seriously compromise, if not completely undermine, the value of these FTAs for U.S. beef and livestock producers. 

European Union Trade Barriers: The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against the European Union (EU) in a landmark decision this week which makes a strong statement regarding international agriculture trade policy. In short, the WTO ruled that non-science-based bans on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are illegal trade barriers. The EU ban on U.S. hormone-treated beef was already found by the WTO to be a violation international trade rules. This latest announcement reiterates that it’s past time for the EU to stop defying international trading rules for purely protectionist reasons.  NCBA urges the EU to look at the science in these matters and implement the recommendations and rulings of the WTO.

Conservation Security Program Sign-up, February 13 - March 31, 2006:  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced last week the 2006 Conservation Security Program (CSP) sign-up will be held February 13 to March 31, 2006 in 60 watersheds nationwide. To be eligible for CSP, most of a producer's agricultural operation must fall within the boundaries of a selected watershed, and sign-up will only include producers who do not have an existing CSP contract.

CSP is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private agricultural lands by providing payments for maintaining and enhancing natural resources. Additional information is available at your local USDA Service Center or at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.

Food Labeling:  NCBA submitted comments February 8 to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about Food Labeling Nutrient Content Claims and proposed expansion of the nutrient content claim, ‘lean’.  In its comments, NCBA says it is important to help consumers identify foods within product categories that help them achieve Dietary Guidelines recommendations.  Given the importance of the Dietary Guidelines ‘Go lean with protein’ message, NCBA says “it is vital to ensure that in FDA’s consideration of expanding the ‘lean’ nutrient content claim, there are no unintended consequences causing consumer confusion or devaluation undermining the current meaning of ‘lean’.”

MCA Convention and Trade Show:  NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt will be traveling to Jackson, Miss. for the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association (MCA) Convention and Trade Show February 9-11.  Jay will address attendees at MCA’s Business Meeting on Saturday morning and give them an update of Congressional and regulatory issues affecting cattlemen.

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 613,009 targeted animals at highest risk for BSE and has found only one confirmed case, 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.

Convention Wrap-up:  The 2006 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show wrapped up last week on February 4.  Nearly 5,000 cattle producer-members of NCBA gathered in Denver to set direction for the industry.  Policy resolutions were passed at the committee level and voted on at the NCBA Board of Directors and Membership meetings.

Much of the attention was focused on cattle health priorities, international trade issues, environmental policy, animal identification, and renewing existing tax policy.  The policy resolutions approved at the meeting, while not final until mail-in membership ballots have been counted, are summarized in NCBA’s Policy Summary Report posted online at http://hill.beef.org/2006potentialpolicy.

In addition, if any affiliates, NCBA members or media representatives want photos or more information on convention events such as those detailed below, contact Tanya Augustson at taugustson@beef.org or 202-347-0228 in NCBA’s Washington office.

Florida Ranch Named National ESAP Winner:  Lightsey Cattle Company of Lake Wales, Fla. was named National Winner of the 15th Annual National Environmental Stewardship Award.  Representing NCBA’s Region II, this operation has faced the increasing pressures of Florida’s overdevelopment and urban sprawl.  The Lightsey family has fought back to keep the land intact and make land preservation a top priority.

Their land, managed by the family since the mid-1800s, consists of 60 percent improved grasses and 40 percent native grasses. Some of the conservation systems implemented include rotational grazing, harvesting overgrown timber, guided hunting to control wildlife populations, deep ditch water systems, and controlled pasture burning. Most notably, the Lightseys have helped to protect and restore 28 endangered species that live on their ranches.

Established in 1991 by NCBA and sponsored by Dow AgroSciences and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) honors America’s ranching operations where stewardship practices are inventive, cost-effective and contribute to environmental conservation. If you would like more information on this year’s national winner, or to nominate a deserving cattle operation for our 16th annual ESAP award, visit http://hill.beef.org/esap, or contact Stacey Katseanes (skatseanes@beef.org or 202-347-0228) in NCBA’s Washington office. 

Walk a Mile MOU:  Making it official with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) February 2, the Walk a Mile in My Boots work-exchange program is now expanding to include partnerships with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The award-winning program was originally launched by NCBA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in summer 2003, and for more than two years has provided government employees and cattle producers with on-the-ground work experiences in each other’s respective professions. The exchange program allows cattle ranchers to visit government offices, work on refuges, labs or even travel to national headquarters in Washington D.C.  Government employees have the opportunity to visit cattle operations and get hands-on experience working the ranch.

Any cattle producer, NACD member, FWS employee, or NRCS employee can apply for the exchange program. The average length of an actual exchange runs anywhere from 2-10 days. For information on the program, go to: www.walkamileinmyboots.org or contact Stacey Katseanes in NCBA’s Washington office at skatseanes@beef.org or 202-347-0228.

PAC Dollars Raised in Denver:  The 2006 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show was especially busy for NCBA’s Political Action Committee (PAC).  NCBA-PAC raised more than $60,000 at their first-ever All Breed Auction and Bull Sale!  Receipts are still being totaled for the PAC Silent Auction, Team Penning Competition and PAC Ski Trip, but NCBA-PAC definitely had one of its most successful Conventions ever!  2006 is an election year and monies raised for NCBA’s Political Action Committee play a critical role in supporting candidates that will best represent the interests of U.S. cattlemen. 

But the opportunity to contribute to NCBA-PAC and participate in our political process doesn’t end with Convention.  For more information on how you can help, contact Erin Vincent in NCBA’s Washington office at 202-347-0228 or evincent@beef.org.

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