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).

NCBA President Mike John Invited to White House for Koizumi Visits:  Cattlemen were prominently represented at today’s White House welcoming ceremony for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.  NCBA President and Missouri cattleman Mike John, along with his father, Russ John, and NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud were among the front row guests gathered to welcome the Prime Minister to the United States.  Mike and Russ will be dining among Washington’s political and diplomatic elite at tonight’s White House State Dinner.  At press time, we had no hint of what will be on the menu, but we hope it’s U.S. beef!

Bush Optimistic on Japan Trade:  During Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to the United States, discussions are turning to the issue of beef trade and Japan’s continued ban on U.S. beef.  The Governments of Japan and the United States announced June 21 an agreement that could lead to resumption of beef trade, but details remain sketchy and no timeframe has been set.  This uncertainty has prompted many in Congress to push for legislation imposing retaliatory measures on Japan if trade is not resumed expeditiously (see NCBA Members Support Bills Regarding Japan Trade below). 

But President Bush appears optimistic about the situation.  In a joint press briefing this afternoon, President Bush acknowledged the June 21 agreement.  “I think the Japanese people are going to like the taste of U.S. beef,” the President said. “As a matter of fact, I had a good slice of beef last night, and you told me you did, as well, and you look like you're feeling pretty good.”  “Very good,” Koizumi replied.

NCBA Members Support Bills Regarding Japan Trade:  NCBA member-directed policy calls for NCBA to support efforts in Congress to urge expeditious resumption of beef trade with Japan.  Among these: 

• S. 3548 championed by Senators Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) would require the U.S. Treasury to impose tariffs on Japanese exports if Japan does not re-open its market to U.S. beef by August 31, 2006.  The bill was introduced June 21 and currently has 18 co-sponsors.
• The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a "Sense of the Senate Resolution" calling for sanctions on Japanese products if Japan has not resumed imports of U.S. beef by the enactment of the agriculture appropriations bill.  This measure was added to the Ag Appropriations Bill which passed out of Committee June 22.  The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration.
• S. 3364, introduced by Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) bans the importation of Japanese beef into the U.S. until Japan opens its borders to U.S. beef.  Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) has signed on in support.
• H.R. 5969, introduced by Rep. Jim Costa (D-Cal.) with four cosponsors, addresses the Japanese embargo on U.S. Beef by “prohibiting importation of Japanese beef into the United States.”

Japanese Audit Teams Visit U.S. Plants:  As outlined in the June 21 agreement between the Governments of Japan and the United States, Japanese audit teams are here in the United States for visits to processing plants eligible for exporting beef to Japan.  These visits are scheduled to conclude July 21.  Upon completion of these audits, Japanese officials have verbally agreed to resume beef trade.

Canada Lifts BSE Import Restrictions on U.S. Beef:  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced today, June 29, it will allow all classes of U.S. cattle for import, including those for breeding purposes born after 1999, based on prescribed certification requirements. Also, beef from cattle over 30 months of age will be eligible for importation under certain conditions.  In its announcement today, CFIA says “Canada's new government is moving closer to re-integrating the North American cattle market in accordance with international standards."

NCBA has been very aggressive in meetings with Canadian officials on issues related to normalizing trade in North America. “This action by the Canadian government 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,” says Jay Truitt, NCBA’s vice president of government affairs. “Full access to Canadian buyers is important to many of our cattlemen.” For more information, visit:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/.

China Trade:  Key members of the Senate sent a letter June 22 to Chinese President Hu Jintao regarding China’s continued embargo on American beef.  Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) coordinated the letter which reads, “During the March 2006 meeting between our countries at the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), China agreed to conditionally resume imports of American beef by June 30, 2006. While this meeting was marked by significant progress, we are disappointed and concerned that China has yet to take the steps necessary to allow beef exports to resume.” 

In addition to Roberts, the letter was signed by Senators Jim Talent (R-Mo.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Larry Craig (R-Idaho), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Wayne Allard (R-Col.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Ken Salazar (D-Col.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.).

Export Market Update:  In 2003, the United States exported approximately $7.5 billion worth of beef, beef products, cattle and other ruminants and ruminant by-products to 95 countries (European Union counting as one). After the December 23, 2003 BSE case, $4.8 billion worth of U.S. beef and beef product exports were banned from international export markets. According to USDA, 72 countries have either fully or partially opened to U.S. beef.

Twenty-three countries still have an unjustified ban on U.S. beef. Those countries include Argentina, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, China, Colombia, Ecuador, the French Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Panama, Qatar, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Of the 72 currently open markets, 60 accept bone-in products and 25 accept product from animals over thirty months (OTM) of age.  There is no justifiable reason for our trading partners to ban U.S. bone-in and OTM beef products. With strong firewalls in place, the United States produces the safest product in the world.  NCBA will continue to urge the U.S. government to push our trading partners for free, fair and reliable trading practices that include fully opening their borders to our products.

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 172 co-sponsors with 2 new cosponsors signed since last week. They are:  Reps. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and Ted Poe (R-Texas).  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!

Dear Colleague Boasts 109 Signatures; Urges Action on Superfund Issue:  In related news, 109 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter to House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) urging swift action to clarify that manure is not considered a hazardous substance under CERCLA/Superfund regulations.  “Unless we act,” the letter says, “farmers across American could face vast liabilities under CERCLA and EPCRA [the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986] – an outcome not envisioned or intended when Congress enacted those laws.”

Interior Appropriations:  The Senate Appropriations Committee approved today, June 29 the FY 2007 Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 5386).  The bill, which was approved without any added amendments, is being marked up by the full committee June 29.  The $26.1 billion bill provides funding for the Department of the Interior (except the Bureau of Reclamation), the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and related agencies. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

Congressional Schedule:  Congress is scheduled to recess for the Fourth of July holiday at the end of this week.  They will return to Washington Monday, July 10. 

Policy Issues Discussion Will Take Center Stage in Reno:  Congress has tabled a number of priority issues for cattlemen until after the Fourth of July recess.  Agriculture appropriations, drought and disaster assistance, Death Tax and many environmental issues will be debated in Congress later this summer.  This means NCBA’s producer-members will need to discuss our next steps and – in many cases – develop new or updated policy on these issues. 

At the 2006 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Reno, Nev., July 10-13, cattle producers will meet in policy committees, discuss current issues as a group, and set the course we should take on these key policy issues for the U.S. cattle industry. On July 11, NCBA will host a Policy Division Forum which will specifically address Farm Bill development (see NCBA Needs Producer Feedback on Farm Bill Issues below.) Please join us at this important industry event and make sure your voice is heard as we work to identify our priorities for the rest of the year. Visit www.beefusa.org for more information!

NCBA Needs Producer Feedback on Farm Bill Issues:  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 members for feedback on farm bill programs and policy priorities. 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. Visit our website at www.beefusa.org to provide us with your thoughts and feedback on what works, what doesn’t, what you need or what you don’t.  Your comments will help us plan for our farm bill discussions at the 2006 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Reno, July 10-13, 2006, where NCBA members will shape NCBA’s policy direction.

NCBA President to Testify at Senate Farm Bill Field Hearing:  The Senate Agriculture Committee’s next field hearing on Farm Bill development will take place July 17 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. NCBA President and Missouri cattleman Mike John was invited personally by Senate Ag Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) to testify on behalf of cattle producers.  Chambliss says “these hearings are a valuable opportunity for direct dialogue between farmers and the agriculture committee and for folks in the surrounding region to share how they would like to see farm policy shaped as we write the next Farm Bill.”

The schedule of Senate Ag Committee field hearing on farm bill development includes:

• Monday, July 17, 9:00am in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
• Friday, July 21, 1:00pm in Harrisburg, Penn.
• Monday, July 24, 9:00am in Ankeny, Iowa
• Hearings are also planned in two additional western states (specific scheduling details are still TBD). For more information, visit:  http://agriculture.senate.gov

Disaster Assistance:  USDA announced June 29 that it will begin allocating $11.8 million in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding for 18 states to help producers rehabilitate land damaged by natural disasters.  ECP gives producers additional resources to remove debris from farmland, restore fences and conservation structures, provide water for livestock in drought situations and grade and shape farmland damaged by a natural disaster. The program is administered by USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state and county committees.  Producers should check with their local FSA offices for more information or visit http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Meat Inspection Act Celebrates 100th Anniversary:  The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) commemorated today “100 years of protecting consumers” with the Centennial Anniversary of the signing of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA).  President Theodore Roosevelt signed the FMIA into law June 30, 1906, requiring that meat products be inspected and that federally inspected slaughterhouses and processing plants operate under sanitary conditions. 

Today, more than 7,600 FSIS inspection program personnel are assigned to about 6,000 federally-inspected meat, poultry and egg products facilities in the United States to ensure products are safe, wholesome and accurately labeled. FSIS also inspects each shipment of imported meat and poultry from qualified countries to ensure U.S. food safety requirements are met. For more information, visit: www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/100_Years.

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 745,465 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. 

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