Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: January 20, 2005

Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
January 20, 2005
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).

NCBA Producers Visit Canada: NCBA has dispatched a trade delegation to Canada this week, on a tour of Canada’s cattle and beef industry. NCBA’s Executive Committee organized the tour in order to gain a better understanding of Canadian cattle and beef production, including feed ban compliance, cattle inventory, border crossing procedures and ongoing BSE surveillance among others.  The team is charged with providing their findings to members at the 2005 Cattle Industry Convention, which runs the first week in February.  No details of the report will be provided prior to Convention, where U.S. cattle producers will consider the facts and their position on the USDA rule to reopen the Canadian border to live cattle trade and a broader list of beef products. This visit is critically important to informing NCBA members, and we take our obligation to bring back facts very seriously.

Litigation is Not the Answer:  It is imperative that science-based decisions be the foundation for government regulations that impact the beef industry, and NCBA will not support litigation as a means to reach a solution in the debate over the Canadian border issue.  In response to a letter sent from R-CALF President Leo McDonnell Jan. 18, Lyons replies "For decades, NCBA has worked as the voice for the industry to maintain and increase consumer confidence in beef.  It is not in our producer members’ interest to align ourselves with an organization that continues to question the safety of beef sold in the U.S.  Nor will we align ourselves with activist groups whose intent is to remove cows from the land and beef from the dinner plate." 

NCBA will discuss Canadian trade issues at its annual meeting, Feb. 2-5 in San Antonio, where cattlemen will decide through NCBA’s democratic process how they want to proceed on the issue.  NCBA maintains its top priority is to regain our export markets and return the $175/ head U.S. producers lost on December 23, 2003. 

Presidential Inauguration:  Back in Washington DC, focus has been on the 55^th Presidential Inauguration which takes place today, Jan. 20.  NCBA’s Washington DC office hosted over 300 agriculture industry guests at the offices on Pennsylvania Avenue, for a day-long open house on Thursday to watch the parade and celebrate the inauguration.  In his second term as President, Bush has said his agenda will include tax reform – including full repeal of the Death Tax – and incentives for small businesses.

Cabinet Confirmations:  In a rare Inauguration Day session today, the U.S. Senate approved by voice vote the confirmation of Mike Johanns as Secretary of Agriculture.  Johanns succeeds outgoing USDA Secretary Ann Veneman.  Johanns was born and raised on a cattle operation in Iowa, and served six years as governor of Nebraska.  During his tenure as governor, Johanns focused on many key agriculture issues including tax reform, trade, drought relief and value-added incentives for agriculture.  At confirmation hearings, Johanns pledged to make the reopening of U.S. beef trade markets a priority.

The confirmation hearing for Condoleezza Rice, nominated to be Secretary of State, took place this week Jan. 18-19^th, before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.  NCBA urged key members of the Committee to stress to Secretary Rice the importance of regaining the Japanese and other foreign beef markets. On Wednesday, the Committee voted to approve Rice by a vote of 16-2 vote. Senators John Kerry (D-Mass) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) voted no. A vote in the full Senate is expected in the coming weeks.

Klamath Decision:  Ranchers and farmers in the Klamath River area scored a major judicial victory last week when a federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association and the Yurok Tribe. The plaintiffs claimed the government’s management of the Klamath Project violated their fishing rights in 2002 and resulted in a die-off of salmon on the lower Klamath River. The Klamath Project delivers irrigation water to 220,000 acres of farm land in Oregon, Washington, and southern California.  NCBA is hopeful the judge’s decision will lessen the likelihood that future irrigation restrictions will be placed on ranches and farms, in the area who rely on the water to sustain their operations. 

Convention Preparations:  NCBA is busy preparing for its 2005 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in San Antonio, Feb. 2-5 where nearly 6,000 attendees are expected.  Critical policy issues will be discussed throughout the Convention, with international trade policy, BSE testing and regulatory policy, animal I.D., environmental issues and tax policy certain to be at the forefront. The Convention is a key opportunity for NCBA members to influence and determine the organization’s policy direction in coming months, in both the legislative and regulatory arenas.

USDA Surveillance for BSE: USDA continues its enhanced BSE surveillance program which began June 1.  To date, 188,968 tests have been conducted with no positive cases reported. 

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

This publication is funded by cattle producers and other industry supporters through their voluntary membership contributions to NCBA. To join the tens of thousands of cattle producers from across the U.S. in working to preserve our legacy, contact NCBA Member Services at 1-866-BEEF-USA or Membership@beef.org.

For more information, please visit our web site at hill.beef.org.
Please feel free to reprint in full.