2007 CCC Archive
Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
June 7, 2007
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). Please feel free to reprint in full or in part. If you’d like to include NCBA’s logo in your reprint, contact our office at 202-347-0228.
YCC Tour in Washington This Week: Dozens of young cattle producers made the rounds on Capitol Hill and around Washington this week as part of NCBA’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC) national tour. The educational YCC program develops leadership qualities in young beef industry leaders who were nominated by their respective state affiliates and breed associations.
In face-to-face meetings, the participants urged members of Congress to address major policy issues affecting the cattle industry right now – including market competition issues, renewable energy issues, and conservation programs in the 2007 Farm Bill. For our brand-new NCBA flyers on these top priority issues, go to www.beefusa.org.
In addition to meetings with their Congressional delegation, participants met with top Washington officials from the USDA, the White House, and more. On Wednesday, June 6th, the annual YCC Beef Picnic in Taft Memorial Park, on the Senate side of Capitol Hill, brought hundreds of Hill staffers and members of Congress together to eat beef and meet with U.S. cattle producers. Tonight, on Thursday, June 7th, NCBA will host the YCC class on a Potomac Boat Tour and auction to benefit NCBA’s Political Action Committee (PAC).
Johanns Speaks to Young Cattlemen Tour: Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns spoke with cattle producers from across the nation today at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Johanns gave candid insights regarding top political issues, including beef trade, the Farm Bill, and ethanol production. He told producers, "When it comes to beef trade issues, I am about as optimistic as I have ever been that we are on the right path to success." He listened to concerns about continued international market barriers to U.S. beef and said "I am pounding these countries to live by the international OIE standards for beef trade. We are making progress and we are moving beef, but we will continue to work toward full access for our beef." In regards to the writing of the 2007 Farm Bill, Johanns reviewed details in USDA's proposal and said that he is hoping the legislation will be finalized by September.
Congressional Schedule: Congress returned to Washington this week following last week’s Memorial Day Recess. Immigration is among the issues being addressed by the Senate this week. The Senate has resumed consideration of S. 1348, introduced May 9th by Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to reform U.S. immigration policy. Contentious discussion on this issue is expected to continue through the end of the week.
NCBA is closely monitoring all amendments and actions taken regarding this legislation. NCBA policy supports immigration reform legislation that both strengthens border security and creates a temporary worker program that does not extend preferential treatment with regard to qualification for Legal Permanent Resident status. NCBA supports efforts to permanently eliminate the “catch and release” system that allows apprehended illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico to go free with a notice to appear at a future deportation hearing.
USDA – Not DHS – Must Regulate Animal Health Research Programs!: The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology held a mark-up June 6th of H.R. 1717, which seeks to amend the Homeland Security Act to establish a National Bio and Agro-defense Facility. It is expected that this facility would replace USDA’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center, but will be managed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), usurping the existing authority of USDA.
NCBA, along with other animal agriculture groups, staunchly opposes this bill as it currently stands because it gives DHS new authorities over animal disease research (both foreign animal diseases and endemic diseases) with only cursory cooperation with the USDA. “DHS has neither the mandate nor expertise to provide national standards related to animal health, coordinate animal disease research or dictate resources regarding animal health,” says NCBA’s Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth Parker. “USDA was created for the purpose of safeguarding the nation’s animal and plant health. This bill completely undermines a significant portion of USDA’s mission.”
Korea Trade Update: This week's USDA export sales report estimated that through May 31st, the United States had sold 14,900 metric tons (33 million pounds) of beef to Korea but only 660,000 pounds had been shipped. A temporary stoppage in trade occurred on May 31st because of what USDA described as “human error” which allowed 66 tons of beef labeled “for domestic use only” to be exported to South Korea. This led the Korean government to put a temporary halt on clearing further shipments through its customs process until USDA could confirm that this was an isolated incident and that proper protocols had been followed with the balance of pending shipments.
America’s cattle producers are truly disappointed by this setback in our ongoing efforts to normalize beef trade with South Korea. When questioned today by cattle producers, USDA Secretary Johanns stated, "This should have never passed through the inspection process for beef going to South Korea… there were two signatures, it was shipped, and that's just plain and simple our fault. These employees have been through extensive training and this never should have happened. We should be catching these things. We hope to get trade with South Korea resumed as soon as possible."
U.S. and South Korean officials developed a strict protocol for exporting U.S. beef to South Korea, and the U.S. cattle industry is insistent that this protocol be followed to the letter. These shipments were standard U.S. bone-in beef products destined for our U.S. market or other export destinations. Instead, they found their way to South Korea. USDA has since indicated that that they have provided South Korea verification that all remaining shipments followed the appropriate protocols and that the paperwork on all but one (other) shipment checked out. USDA also indicated that it was “taking the appropriate action” to rectify the situation.
It is important to remember that this is not a food safety issue – as the beef shipment was perfectly safe – but rather an issue of adhering to South Korea’s particular export verification (EV) standards of accepting only boneless products at this time. All of these products were fully inspected by the United States, deemed safe and approved for sale. "We've had some speed bumps, but the bottom line is that South Korea needs to be accepting U.S. beef according to international OIE standards," Secretary Johanns told cattle producers today.
Japan Trade Update: Teams of Japanese auditors have concluded their inspections of U.S. beef processing plants and they are finalizing their reviews of processing and exporting procedures, scheduled for completion by June 16. Successful completion of this team’s visit is expected to facilitate an end to Japan’s requirement that every box of beef imported from the United States be inspected.
"They came here this past week and the audits went well, and we were pleased," USDA Secretary Johanns told cattlemen today. "But this is not the last step. We need to get Japan up and running in line with international standards. All beef, any age, bone-in, should be going into this market once again. The good news is that we've had pretty good trade with Japan so far this year. They have acknowledged our classification by the OIE and hopefully they will normalize beef trade."
According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a more streamlined inspection protocol in Japan has the potential to double U.S. beef exports to Japan. USMEF reports that U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports to Japan continue to hover at 2,500 metric tons per month. For January-March 2007, export volume totaled 7,975 metric tons with a value of $38.6 million.
U.S. Beef Trade Progressing in Indonesia and Honduras: According to media reports, Indonesia plans to lift a ban on imports of U.S. beef now that the World Organization for Animal Health has reclassified of the United States as “controlled risk” for BSE. Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono said Indonesia will end the restriction “soon.” Indonesia was a key variety meat export market worth $17 million for the United States before it closed in August 2005.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced June 1st that Honduras will now accept ALL U.S. beef and beef products. All FSIS federally inspected plants are eligible to export to Honduras. Recent exports of frozen beef to Honduras have increased exponentially. According to Foreign Agricultural Service data, trade in the first three months of 2007 is up 172 percent over 2006. In 2006, exports of U.S. boneless beef and beef products from animals less than 30 months of age to Honduras totaled $1.1 million.
Congress Continues to Show Support for Superfund Exemption: Discussions continue on Capitol Hill about legislation that will clarify that livestock manure is not considered a Superfund material under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA). Livestock producers continue to urge that Superfund laws, created in the 1980’s to provide for the cleanup of toxic waste and hazardous chemical spills, were never intended to apply to manure on farms and ranches.
There are now 118 co-sponsors in the House for H.R. 1398, with five new cosponsors signing on this week! They are Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.), Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), Dan Burton (R-Ind.), Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.). There are 23 co-sponsors for S. 807 in the Senate.
NCBA cattle producer-members are reminded to contact Senators and Representatives by phone, fax or email, and urge them to sign-on! Download our full-color fact sheet on this issue at www.beefusa.org.
“If you don’t have TPA, you don’t have a trade agenda”: NCBA cattle producer-members are reminding Congress of the importance of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and urging its reauthorization before the June 30 expiration. TPA gives the Administration the ability to negotiate and finalize complex bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Once completed, Congress still has the opportunity to debate the agreement, and give it a straight up-or-down vote. But Congress cannot bog it down with amendments or changes, which is critical.
NCBA CEO Terry Stokes says that even the threat of Congress bickering over details within a trade agreement puts the United States at a big disadvantage in negotiations. “Our key trading partners don’t even want to sit down at the negotiating table with us if they know that the President has to go to Capitol Hill and ask, ‘Mother may I?’ on every single aspect of the agreement,” says Stokes.
Ag Secretary Mike Johanns articulated his support for TPA in remarks to cattle producers today. “I support TPA – no matter who is President – that doesn’t make any difference,” said Johanns. “If you don’t have TPA, you don’t have a trade agenda.”
Between 1994 and 2002, when the President did not have TPA, America’s foreign competitors took advantage of opportunities to expand their presence in the international marketplace. The rest of the world was moving forward and signing trade deals that excluded the United States. Cattle producers should contact Senators and Representatives TODAY and urge them to RENEW TPA!
Cattlemen Mourn Passing of Popular Wyoming Senator: NCBA staff and members were saddened by this week’s death of Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas. Thomas, a three-term Republican, was a champion for ranchers on environmental, natural resources and property rights issues. He passed away on June 4th at the age of 74 after a battle with leukemia.
“Senator Thomas was a rancher who never forgot where he came from while he served in the Senate,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt. "His devotion to ranching and the American west and his common sense approach to government will be greatly missed.”
Nebraska Midyear Meeting: The Nebraska Cattlemen’s Midyear Meeting began today and runs through June 8th in Columbus where participants will hear from a strong lineup of speakers about priority cattle industry issues. USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Chuck Lambert has returned from Europe and Asia just in time to speak at the NC Midyear about the status of our trade priorities. Complementing Lambert’s remarks, NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud will provide an update on beef exports and imports, and he will talk about the effects of ethanol on livestock prices. The debate in Washington, D.C. right now is about substantially increasing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and Doud will address the implications of doing that.
“These two gentlemen have been deeply and directly involved in U.S. trade talks with Korea Japan and China,” says Nebraska Cattlemen President Jay Wolf. “Rebuilding our beef export trade with our key export markets is critical, especially since Nebraska has been the number two exporting state.” For more information, visit: www.nebraskacattlemen.org.
NCBA Preparing for Cattle Industry Summer Conference: Pre-registration is now open for the 2007 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, which will be held July 16-20 in Denver. The event is co-sponsored by NCBA, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, Inc., and Cattle-Fax.
NCBA’s popular Issue Forums will take place on Wednesday, July 18. This year, one Issue Forum will be devoted entirely to policy issues. NCBA policy committee meetings are scheduled for Thursday, July 19. These sessions provide an update on the progress of member-driven NCBA policies that were adopted at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in February.
Entertainment options for those attending the Summer Conference include a Western Swing event sponsored by Dow AgroSciences and USDA-NRCS. A billiards tournament will also be held in support of the NCBA-PAC, and ANCW will be holding its annual silent auction.
The week’s events draw to a close on Friday, July 20, with the NCBA Board of Directors meeting. Most Summer Conference meetings and events will be held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in downtown Denver. Pre-registration is open through June 22. Full registration and hotel information is available at: www.beefusa.org/convsummerconference.aspx.
Don't Miss NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen: Tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) this Saturday for a special, in-depth look at how Colorado ranchers are opposing the U.S. Military's plan to take over 2.5 million acres of ranch land in the Pinon Canyon region of southeastern Colorado.
On next week’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen episode, beginning Tuesday, June 12th, the Cattle Learning Center talks about management of nuisance flies, we'll take a look at the booming ethanol industry, and also have a feature interview with current NCBA President and North Carolina cattle producer John Queen.
NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV provides weekly news and features for cattle producers across the country. The show airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. and is rebroadcast Wednesdays at 4:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m. All times are Eastern. Make sure YOU tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on channel RFD-TV. For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.
Media Contact:
Tanya A. Camarra or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228, tacamarra@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.