Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: June 02, 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).

CAFTA-DR:

NCBA Calls on Cattlemen to Contact Their Members of Congress in Support of CAFTA-DR: Over the Memorial Day recess NCBA is calling on cattlemen to contact their members of Congress in support of the trade agreement. The Memorial Day work period is an excellent opportunity for cattlemen to have their voices heard. Members of Congress will host town hall meetings, and they like to hear from constituents.  Use this time to provide input to your representatives in Washington, D.C.! Leaders on Capitol Hill say a vote on the agreement is expected early this summer maybe even by the end of June. For more information about the beef provisions of CAFTA-DR, and NCBA’s economic analysis, please visit http://hill.beef.org/cafta.

President Bush Calls on Congress to Pass CAFTA-DR:  In a recent press conference, President Bush urged members of Congress to pass important legislation regarding CAFTA. In the past week, he met with Congressional members of both parties to encourage their support. The President stated, “CAFTA will level the playing field by making about 80 percent of American exports to those countries duty-free. I've always said I'm for free and fair trade -- this makes our trade with the CAFTA countries fair. And that's important. After all, the CAFTA agreement will open a market of 44 million consumers to our producers, to our workers, the products that our workers make, to our farmers.” Administration officials continue to gain momentum in garnering support for CAFTA-DR.

Senate Agriculture Committee to Hold Hearing on CAFTA-DR, June 7: The Senate Agriculture Committee will discuss and hear testimony regarding the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement during a hearing on Tuesday, June 7^th at 9:30 AM.

Cattlemen Urge Vote on Judicial Nominee Bill Myers:  Cattlemen continue to appeal to members of the U.S. Senate to vote on Bill Myers, judicial nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Myers worked for NCBA and the Public Lands Council in the 1990s before being unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2001 to be the solicitor at the Department of the Interior. NCBA and PLC producers-members strongly support Myers’ nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

OIE Releases New Guidelines for Beef Exports: The World Animal Health Organization (OIE) established new guidelines on beef exports relating to BSE. The most significant change comes with the new BSE code, in which countries will be placed in one of three categories: Negligible Risk, Controlled Risk and Undetermined Risk. Countries which have applications for OIE classification as free or provisionally free submitted prior to May 2005 will be allowed to be reviewed according to the old code. Others will now be subject to the new code’s three classifications. The new guidelines also state that beef from animals under 30 months from countries in all categories should be viewed as safe for trade. Blood and blood products remain on the list of safe products along with tallow. The surveillance standards establish a maintenance category for minimal testing, but do encourage active surveillance. However, nothing in the surveillance area changes the fact that the U.S. exceeds all OIE standards. NCBA will be analyzing the new guidelines and determining how this will improve our ability to enhance trade with beef and beef products.

Ag Appropriations:  The Ag Appropriations bill will be sent to the House floor during the week of June 6th.  The House Appropriations Committee passed the $99.6 billion bill on May 25 by voice vote. Among the provisions we will be watching:

•   Funding for continued enhancement of our nation’s animal health infrastructure.  This infrastructure includes the National Animal Disease Center, the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and the Center for Veterinary Biologics, and it provides for research on animal diseases and monitoring and surveillance programs to protect our animals from the introduction of foreign animal diseases.  

•   Funding for nutrition research. 

•   A provision introduced last week by Subcommittee Chairman Henry Bonilla (R-TX) which delays implementation of country-of-origin labeling until 2007.

Producers should contact their members of the House of Representatives and urge them to oppose the Rehberg Amendment to strike the Bonilla provision.

EQIP Comment Deadline June 5!:  NCBA reminds producers to submit comments on USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Written comments will be accepted through June 5. USDA-NRCS will use the information gathered from the sessions to prepare for the 2006 program year.  More information is posted at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/index.html#eqiplisteningsession.

Producers Can Participate in USDA BSE Meeting June 9:  The continued debate over reopening the Canadian border and efforts by groups to call into question the safety of beef has prompted USDA to host a roundtable discussion on BSE in North America and the economic effect on the U.S. beef industry.  "The roundtable will bring together experts from the USDA, producers, packers, academia and others to discuss the safety of North American beef and the economic impact of border closings,” said Ag Secretary Mike Johanns. “The topics of the roundtable will include current science behind the safety of the beef supply, economic activity including markets and job losses and the shifting infrastructure with an eye toward the long-term effects on the global beef and cattle market.”  The meeting will take place Thursday, June 9 from 9:30-noon at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis.  Johanns said the discussion will be open to the public, and producers are encouraged to attend. NCBA representatives will be in attendance.

Mexican Trade:  NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud and Dana Hauck are in Colima, Mexico this week at the NCBA-CNG Cross Border working group meeting. Dana Hauck, a Kansas feedlot operator, is co-chair of NCBA's U.S/Mexico Cross-Border Working Group.  Agenda items include discussion over the Canadian border situation, amendments to OIE regulations, efforts to reopen the Japanese market, CAFTA negotiations and an update on the Five Nations Beef Conference.  Also this week, Gregg will give a speech on Global Beef Trade Issues at CNG's annual convention.

Montana Conservation Workshop Set for June 10:  NCBA, along with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Montana Stockgrowers Association will host a Conservation Workshop on Friday, June 10, 2005.  The workshop, held in conjunction with Montana Stockgrowers Association Mid-Year meeting in Helena, will focus on Working Lands Conservation in Beef Cattle Production in Montana, and will include information on how to participate in NRCS cost-share programs.  The workshop will consist of a range tour where producers, the media and public are invited to hear about environmental issues facing cattle producers, see firsthand conservation and stewardship efforts of Montana producers and learn more about the Environmental Stewardship Awards Program.  For more information on how to register, contact Stacey Katseanes at NCBA (skatseanes@beef.org or 202-347-0228).

Florida Conservation Session on June 16:  NCBA, along with along with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association will host a Conservation Session on Thursday, June 16, 2005. The workshop, held in conjunction with Florida Cattlemen’s Association Annual meeting in Marco Island, will focus on Working Lands Conservation in Beef Cattle Production in Florida, and will include information on how to participate in NRCS cost-share programs. Producers and the media are invited. For more information on how to register, contact Stacey Katseanes at NCBA (skatseanes@beef.org or 202-347-0228).

Producer Comments on Animal ID Due July 6!: USDA has extended their deadline for comments on their NAIS Draft Strategic Plan and the NAIS Draft Program Standards.  Of particular importance is that producers address the questions posed by USDA regarding a private-sector animal ID system.  Producers may submit comments by July 6, 2005, by either of the following methods:

·        EDOCKET: Go to http://www.epa.gov/feddocket to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official public docket and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once you have entered EDOCKET, click on the "View Open APHIS Dockets" link to locate this document.

·        Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to
Docket No. 05-015-1
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71
4700 River Road, Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 05-015-1.

More information is posted on USDA’s Animal ID web site at http://www.usda.gov/nais.

Raymond Nominated to Serve as USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety:  Dr. Richard Raymond of Nebraska was nominated on May 26 by President Bush to serve as USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety. Dr. Raymond is the Chief Medical Officer for the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, serving as the chief public health spokesperson for the state. He also serves as the Director of the Nebraska HHSS Department of Regulation and Licensure.

Congressional Schedule:  Congress is out on recess this week for Memorial Day.  Both the Senate and the House are scheduled to reconvene on Monday, June 6.

Mark Your Calendar for NCBA-PAC Golf Tournament!:  The NCBA-PAC Golf Tournament at NCBA’s Summer Conference in Denver, Colorado is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26.  The tournament will be held at Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton, CO.  The ticket price is $150.00 and includes transportation, green fees, cart rental, range balls, on course refreshments and a chuck wagon buffet.  All proceeds will benefit NCBA-PAC/PEF.  NCBA-PAC makes the voices of cattle producers heard on Capitol Hill by supporting members of Congress who speak for and protect our policy initiatives.

USDA Surveillance for BSE: USDA continues its enhanced BSE surveillance program which began June 1.  To date, 369,467 tests have been conducted with no positive cases reported.  APHIS’s goal is to test as many cattle from the high-risk population as possible in a 12- to 18-month period. Testing 268,500 animals could 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

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.

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