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: Much pre-holiday attention was focused this week on the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement:

NCBA, Industry Groups Call for Producer Input over Recess: A coalition of business and agriculture groups will intensify their grassroots lobbying efforts during the Memorial Day recess and seek out members in their districts. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) urged CAFTA supporters across the country to launch letter-writing campaigns, meet with editorial boards and host town hall meetings and informational events with local chambers of commerce.

Ag Coalition Asks Congress to Oppose Sugar Exclusion: In a May 25 letter to every member of Congress, 69 ag and food industry organizations expressed concern that efforts by the U.S. sugar industry to obtain a full exclusion from the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement will result in a weakened trade agenda in the future. The letter states "the CAFTA-DR benefits all U.S. agricultural export interests because none were excluded from the final accord….we are deeply concerned that efforts by most of the U.S. sugar industry to obtain a full exclusion from CAFTA-DR or other accommodations will open the door to the withdrawal of important concessions for some of our products. We are also concerned that any exclusions in this agreement will pave the way for exclusions and counter-exclusions in future agreements, resulting in a downward spiral to the lowest possible level of mutual agreement."

Johanns, Portman, Goodlatte Rally for CAFTA: Ag Secretary Mike Johanns, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman and Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) hosted a Capitol Hill press conference on May 25 urging support for the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement. The event was highlighted by Goodlatte announcing publicly his support for CAFTA and his intentions to gain additional support among members in the House. "It is to the advantage of the American farmer that this trade agreement comes into force," said Goodlatte. A proponent of free trade agreements, Goodlatte says free and fair trade is essential for America’s farmers and ranchers to remain competitive in the world market. Portman said that Goodlatte's support was a major step in building momentum to pass the agreement. Mock markups on legislation implementing the pact are expected during the month of June.

Ranchers Pushing for Myers Confirmation: As the Senate plods along with the confirmation process for some of President Bush’s judicial nominees, America’s cattle ranchers and livestock producers are watching and urging Senators to "do the right thing" in consideration of nominee Bill Myers. NCBA’s Washington staff says producers need to make their voices heard and their wishes known to their Senators during this time. Myers is nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which has jurisdiction over nine Western states and over 485 million acres of federal lands. His nomination has been opposed by left-leaning activist groups who are pushing for more liberals on the court. Senate democrats filibustered his nomination last year and his nomination has yet to be voted on. NCBA says the long-term vacancy on this court has hurt ranchers who can’t have their grievances heard in a timely fashion. 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 are urged to contact their U.S. Senators and ask them to confirm Bill Myers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Checkoff Decision: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 in a decision released May 23. By a vote of 6-3, the Court overturned lower court decisions by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and the U.S. District Court for South Dakota, which ruled the measure unconstitutional. "This is a victory for all producers who want demand-building efforts in beef safety, nutrition and promotion continued, '' said Jim McAdams, Texas cattle producers and NCBA President. Under the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985, the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board develops budgets and awards contracts to carry out a coordinated program designed to strengthen the position of beef in the marketplace. The "Beef It's What's for Dinner" advertising campaign is one such program. The Beef Checkoff is funded by America’s beef producers who own and market cattle, regardless of the size of their operation or the value of their cattle. Producers are required to pay $1 per head each time cattle are sold. A comparable assessment is collected on all imported cattle, beef and beef products.

Ag Appropriations: The House Appropriations Committee passed the $99.6 billion Fiscal Year 06 Ag Appropriations bill on May 25 by voice vote. The bill now goes to the House floor for consideration following Memorial Day recess. 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 Can Participate in USDA BSE Meeting: The continued debate over reopening the Canadian border and efforts by protectionist 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 Andrew Boss Laboratory on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. Johanns said the discussion will be open to the public, and producers are encouraged to attend.

FSIS/FDA General Principles for Food Standards: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule on May 20th to set general principles for establishing, reviewing and eliminating food standards. Comments are due on August 18. NCBA is currently reviewing the rule and will comment to the agencies as appropriate.

Pew Animal Biotech Meeting: NCBA participated in the third and final meeting of the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology Animals Dialogue Group in Rockville, MD May 23-24. This group has received briefings on ethics, regulatory and commercialization topics in animal biotechnology. Industry, government, academia and consumer groups are represented in the group.

USMEF Meeting: NCBA participated in meetings this week regarding beef trade issues with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). The USMEF Annual Board of Directors Meeting is taking place May 25-27 in Washington, D.C. Participants are hearing from top Washington trade officials and discussing major meat export issues, including the continued border closures due to BSE.

NCBA Meets with U.S. Trade Rep: NCBA met with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman this week along with other meat industry groups to discuss the status and strategies surrounding current trade issues. Major issues on the radar include BSE export market closures, Canadian trade, CAFTA and WTO negotiations.

Food Industry Senate Picnic: NCBA co-hosted the Wal-Mart "Great American Cook-Out" on Capitol Hill May 25. This event brings members of Congress and their staff together with food industry representatives for a pre-Memorial Day picnic, emphasizing food safety practices for cooking outdoors. More than 300 people attended Wednesday’s Wal-Mart picnic which was sponsored by NCBA, National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, National Chicken Council, ConAgra Foods, Hebrew National and Pepsico.

Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable: NCBA Director of Federal Lands and Public Lands Council Executive Director Jeff Eisenberg was in Ardmore, Oklahoma this week for the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable. The SRR promotes social, ecological and economic sustainability of rangelands through the development and widespread use of criteria and indicators for rangeland assessments and by providing a forum for dialogue on sustainability of rangelands.

USDA Extends Comment Period for Animal ID: 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:

Congressional Schedule: Congress is scheduled to recess on May 27 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, 362,632 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