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).
 
Vietnam Agreement Means Business for U.S. Cattlemen: A bilateral market access agreement signed May 31 between the United States and Vietnam will boost export opportunities for U.S. cattle producers. Members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association strongly support the agreement, required as part of Vietnam's bid to become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).  “A key component of our Beef Industry Long Range Plan is tripling U.S. beef export markets by the year 2010,” says NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud. “For U.S. cattle producers, this agreement with Vietnam is a big step on the way to breaking down market access barriers to our beef.”

According to the negotiated terms, Vietnam will immediately begin accepting all U.S. beef and beef products from animals less than 30 months of age.  Upon Vietnam’s entry into the WTO, tariffs will continue to be reduced. “Lowering tariffs on U.S. beef exports is always a victory for us,” says Ed Blair, a South Dakota cattle producer and chairman of NCBA’s International Markets Committee. “We raise cattle that produce exceptional beef, and high tariffs on our valuable U.S. exports make it difficult for us to compete fairly. Vietnam is a promising market for U.S. beef, and this agreement marks an important precedent to be set with one of our up-and-coming Asian trading partners.” 

Canadian Proposal to Lift Bluetongue Restrictions:  NCBA strongly supports a proposal to lift bluetongue restrictions for all classes of U.S. cattle exported to western Canada. The proposal was announced as part of a review being conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

“CFIA’s proposal is based on sound science and takes all measures necessary to protect the herd health of both countries. That’s what NCBA and our affiliates have wanted all along, but it has taken some long and difficult negotiations to get us to this point,” said Jay Truitt, NCBA’s vice president of government affairs. “Full access to Canadian buyers is important to many of our cattlemen who produce feeder cattle as well as breeding stock. This change will make that possible, without raising any health risks or herd health issues.”

Formal comments from NCBA President Mike John were submitted yesterday on the bluetongue consultation paper. NCBA is also working for similar, science-based results from CFIA’s anaplasmosis risk assessment, which is still underway. CFIA says that a consultation paper on anaplasmosis is likely to be released by late spring, but the timing could depend on data yet to be provided by U.S. authorities. View CFIA’s bluetongue consultation paper here: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/disemala/blufie/blufie-consul-1e.shtml

World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Amends BSE Guidelines: The OIE convened last week for its 74th annual General Session.  Among the results of last week’s meetings is a change to the OIE guidelines on standard requirements for risk categorization of countries with BSE as well as clarifications to the recommendations for BSE surveillance.  Prior to last week's revisions, the OIE’s BSE code required a country with a confirmed case of BSE in a native-born animal to wait seven years after the last discovery of BSE before it could be considered in the "negligible risk" category, the category for countries with the least BSE risk. Under the newly approved guidelines, countries can be considered for this risk categorization 11 years after the birth date of the last native-born case. 

According to the OIE’s BSE guidelines, to be considered negligible risk, a country that has identified a domestic case of BSE must demonstrate that an appropriate level of controls, including feed restrictions, has been in place for at least 8 years and the last domestic case discovered must have been born more than 11 years prior.  For more information, visit:  http://www.oie.int/eng/en_index.htm.

Beef Exports to Peru Fully Resume: As of Tuesday, May 31, 2006, all U.S. beef and beef products are eligible for export to Peru with an export certification dated on or after this date, and all federally inspected U.S. establishments are eligible to export.  But U.S. beef exports going into Peru will face tariffs of up to 25 percent, which make it nearly impossible for the United States to compete against Argentinean and Brazilian beef.

That’s why U.S. cattle producers are in strong support of the U.S. – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA), which would eliminate duties immediately on high quality beef, and reduces tariffs on all other products faster than ever before. NCBA has released an issue backgrounder with all the details titled “U.S. Ranchers Support Peru Trade Agreement.” Get the web version at: http://hill.beef.org/TPABeefFactSheet.

South Korea to Lift Ban: On Monday, May 29, South Korea announced its intention to lift their ban on U.S. beef imports.  With Korean teams having completed their inspections of 37 U.S. processing facilities, the Korean government is expected to announce which facilities are eligible to export products on June 7.

The terms of the agreement resolve that South Korea will accept U.S. boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months of age, but Korea will continue its ban on U.S. bone-in beef and variety meats—which historically accounted for roughly half of the total value of U.S. exports to South Korea.

Ranchers, Farmers Prepare for Death Tax Vote:  During the Congressional Memorial Day recess, America’s farmers and ranchers are turning up the heat in their hometowns and talking about how this devastating tax on the American dream must go. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has said he hopes to get the bill on the Senate floor soon after Congress returns to Washington the week of June 5. 

Ranchers and farmers can talk to their Senators at home over this week’s Congressional recess, May 27-June 4.  Go to www.beefusa.org for more information and tools to use as part of this effort. Of course, producers can continue to send letters to their Senators though our Cap Wiz web site at http://capwiz.com/beefusa. 

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).  Congress established the Superfund program in 1974 to locate, investigate and clean up toxic waste sites nationwide.  The program’s objective was to protect human health and the environment from the hazards of chemical waste.  But opponents of animal agriculture want to apply Superfund laws to livestock operations because of manure emissions. 

H.R. 4341 currently has 160 co-sponsors with 3 new cosponsors added since last week!  They are Reps. Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.), Sam Johnson (R-Texas), and Rick Boucher (D-Va.).  Visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa to see a full list of co-sponsors.  If your Representative is not yet listed, send a message to them asking them to sign on!

Submit Feedback on Farm Bill Today:  The 2002 Farm Bill will expire September 30, 2007, but Congress has already begun work on developing the 2007 Farm Bill.  To prepare for the debate, NCBA is asking its members for feedback on what their needs for farm bill programs and policy might be.  Whether you would like to see an existing program improved or perhaps feel that another program should be eliminated, we need to hear from you. Just go to http://hill.beef.org/farmbill and give us your feedback! 

Your comments will help NCBA plan for our farm bill discussions at the 2006 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Reno, July 10-13, 2006, where you can work with your fellow NCBA members to shape NCBA’s policy direction.

Congress Continues Farm Bill Field Hearings:  The House Agriculture Committee will continue its series of field hearings to review the 2002 Farm Bill on June 10 in Yakima, Washington.  The Senate Agriculture Committee has announced its own schedule for regional Farm Bill field hearings.  The Committee has scheduled hearings for June 23 in Albany, Georgia, July 17 in Missouri and July 21 in Pennsylvania.  Plans are also being made to hold hearings in Iowa and in two western states, with dates and locations still to be announced.

Kempthorne Approved as Next Interior Secretary:  The Senate approved Dirk Kempthorne May 26 to be Secretary of the Interior.  After invoking cloture by a vote of 85-8, his nomination was approved by voice vote.  In addition to serving as Governor of Idaho, Kempthorne has served as Mayor of Boise and as a United States Senator where he chaired the Subcommittee on Drinking Water, Fisheries, and Wildlife and the Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee. The Department of Interior is responsible for managing our national parks and public lands, conserving our natural resources, and pursuing environmentally responsible energy development on federal lands and waters.

Congressional Schedule:  Congress is out for Memorial Day recess this week.  The Senate is scheduled to return to Washington on Monday, June 5, and the House of Representatives should return on Tuesday, June 6.

U.S. 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 725,755 cattle and has found only two confirmed cases, evidence that our safeguards are working and the prevalence of BSE in the United States 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. 

Sign up for PAC Events in Reno:  There will be two ways to support NCBA-PAC at Summer Conference!  To celebrate Reno’s colorful gaming history, NCBA-PAC will host a Texas Hold ‘Em game, and a Slot Machine Tournament!  Details are below! Contact: Erin Vincent evincent@beef.org or 202-347-0228.

-Game #1: No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em

• $200.00 Buy-In
• $200.00 Re-Buy (Limit one per person in first hour of play)

Grab a seat and get in the game!  This year in Reno, join your fellow Summer Conference attendees for a friendly and exciting game of Texas Hold ‘Em! 

$75.00 per regular buy-in and $100.00 per re-buy will make up the prize pool for the top five players of the evening.  The remainder of the proceeds will benefit NCBA-PAC, your voice on Capitol Hill.  Basic Instruction will be offered at 6:30pm preceding the tournament.  Seating is limited— register early!

-Game #2: Slot Machine Tournament

If poker is not your thing but you’d still like to hit the casino while supporting NCBA-PAC, this is the tournament for you!
Each participant will have a fifteen minute opportunity to run up the highest score on a slot machine.  Want to increase your odds? Re-buys will be available for $25.00 per additional session.  The Slot Machine Tournament will feature $2500 in prize money which will be distributed among the top 15 overall scorers.  Sign up early to guarantee your spot at the slots!

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