Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: May 6, 2004

Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns

May 6, 2004

The 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 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Canadian Trade 101: Amongst a flurry of confusion this week over U.S. beef trade with Canada, NCBA would like to take this opportunity in this week’s CCC to clarify any confusion. The U.S. market remains open to Canadian boneless boxed beef derived from animals less than 30 months of age, veal, and beef trimming from those animals as has been the case since August 8, 2003. Historically about two-thirds of Canadian imports into the U.S. have been in the form of meat, with the other one-third being live animals. 

Current industry information indicates that Canada is exporting roughly 14 million pounds of beef per week to the U.S. To put this into perspective, total U.S. beef production this week will be very near 500 million pounds. Of this 14 million pounds, approximately half or seven million pounds will be in the form of trimmings. While seemingly a large quantity, this amounts to less than five percent of weekly domestic production of this product. For additional perspective, total U.S. beef imports from Canada (live equivalent, boneless and bone-in [fresh & frozen] and veal) during 2002 averaged approximately 25 million pounds per week. U.S. beef/veal/variety meat exports to Canada during 2002 averaged 4.1 million pounds per week and 3.9 million pounds per week during 2003. Preliminary trade data indicates that the U.S. imported approximately 58 million pounds of boneless boxed beef from Canada during February 2004 and 1.7 million pounds of "bone-in" product.

There have been some reports recently indicating that the importation of this bone-in product reflects "irresponsible" activity on the part of USDA. It should be pointed out that the most plausible explanation for these imports is that they are actually veal.

While some in agriculture today feel compelled to castigate Canada over beef trade, it is important to keep in mind that during 2003 Canada was U.S. agriculture's #1 export market overall and the fourth largest market for U.S. beef exports behind Japan, Mexico and S. Korea. In addition, making unscientific claims about the safety of Canadian beef and beef products is a dangerous threat to consumer confidence in all beef products, regardless of their origin. All scientific studies show that the BSE infectious agent has never been found in beef muscle meat or milk and is only found in central nervous system tissue such as brain and spinal cord of infected animals.

U.S. Border Status 101: As of today, May 6, 2004, the following twenty-one countries have open borders for U.S. beef products: Albania, Bahrain, Caribbean-Anguilla, Caribbean-Aruba, Caribbean-Bahamas, Caribbean-Bermuda, Caribbean-BVI, Caribbean-Curacao & St. Maarten, Caribbean-St. Lucia, Caribbean-St. Thomas, Caribbean-St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Hungary, Iraq, Latvia, Lithuania, Nicaragua, Poland, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Tahiti. In addition, the following countries have partially opened their borders to specified beef products (such as boneless beef products, etc.): Bulgaria, Canada, Caribbean-Antigua & Barbuda, Caribbean-Barbados, Caribbean-Cayman Islands, Caribbean-Dominican Republic, Caribbean-Grenada, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Romania, Sri Lanka. The fact is that 135 countries never closed their borders to U.S. beef as a result of the single BSE cow in Washington state, 15 countries closed and are now open or at least partially open and 49 countries remain closed to U.S. beef.

Animal ID:  NCBA continues to be actively involved with the issue of animal identification this week in Washington, D.C. On Friday, our Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Jay Truitt will speak on traceback and animal identification at the National Food Policy Conference.  This conference is coordinated by the Consumer Federation of America in cooperation with the National Food Processors Association. The two-day conference at the National Press Club includes speakers from government, the food industry, public health organizations, and the consumer community, addressing issues related to food safety, food security, nutrition, and food and agriculture policy.

FSIS Comments Due:  NCBA will be sending comments to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) this Friday regarding three interim final rules on: Specified Risk Materials and Non-ambulatory Disabled Cattle (Docket No. 03-025IF), Advanced Meat Recovery (Docket No. 03-038IF), and Prohibition of Air-injection Stunners (Docket No. 01-033IF). NCBA supports this interim final rule to ban air-injection stunners from being used in cattle slaughter.  We support the development of regulations that prohibit SRMs from being included in the human food supply. NCBA also supports the decision to prohibit non-ambulatory cattle from the commercial food supply, however, we encourage FSIS to implement a system whereby animals injured while during loading or transportation, be allowed to be processed for personal use. Finally, NCBA supports this interim final rule on AMR and urges its adoption as a final rule. AMR is a process that when conducted following these regulations and proper industry practices, is safe.  All producers must send final comments by tomorrow, Friday May 7, 2004.  Email your comments to: FSIS.RegulationsComments@usda.gov.

Consumers Confident in Safety of U.S. Beef:  Despite high awareness of the issue, Americans remain strongly confident that U.S. beef is safe from BSE.  In a recent survey, 89 percent of Americans said they were confident that U.S. beef is safe, virtually identical to the 90 percent confidence level measured in mid-January and the 88 percent confidence in September 2003. Seventy-five percent of consumers surveyed said they heard something about mad cow disease in the past month, a significant drop from 97 percent awareness in mid-January, but still above 61 percent awareness in September 2003. This independent, national consumer survey conducted April 27-29, 2004, by IPSOS U.S. Public Affairs. The survey, conducted for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and commissioned by the NCBA, is a national, random sample of 1,000-plus U.S. adults with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent. On a final note, the percentage that said they are "extremely" confident in the safety of U.S. beef has actually risen from 29 percent in September 2003 to 45 percent in both January and April. 

*Conservation Day for Media & Producers*:  NCBA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be hosting four Conservation Workshops for both producers and interested members of the press this spring and summer. The kick-off Conservation Workshop will be held on Thursday, June 10th at 8:30 am at the Work Family Ranch, in San Miguel, CA. The Works are the national winners of the 2003 Environmental Stewardship Awards Program, and will be demonstrating some of the conservation practices they have implemented on their land.  Local NRCS officials will also be available to address participation in the Cost-Share programs available through the Farm Bill. This is an excellent opportunity for producers and the public to better familiarize themselves with the advancements ranchers are taking to integrate working lands conservation practices within their operations. If you are a producer or member of the press who would like to participate in this exceptional opportunity for hands-on conservation training, please contact NCBA’s Associate Director of Environmental Affairs, Megan Tipton at 202-347-0228 or mtipton@beef.org.

Endangered Species Act:  In response to requests from visiting cattle producers during our 2004 Spring Conference in Washington D.C., Forest Service officials are making an effort to improve our involvement in ESA consultations.  During the spring meetings, officials told producer-members of NCBA and the Public Lands Council they would work to increase opportunities for grazing permittees to participate in ESA consultations involving their grazing allotments.  This letter, clarifying the Forest Service policy on the participation of "applicants" in the ESA consultation process is now being circulated throughout the agency. This action aims to improve opportunities for applicant participation, lead to greater transparency in future consultations, and provide for more meaningful consideration of applicant information supplied during the consultation process. NCBA and PLC are pleased that the Forest Service has made such a commitment for cattle producers.

FMD:  USDA hosted the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Global Research Alliance late last week to discuss collaborative research to develop better vaccines and antiviral agents against the virus that causes FMD. NCBA continues to be highly committed to FMD prevention and research. According to USDA Secretary Ann Veneman, the meeting brought together world-class research scientists to focus on cooperative research efforts to help fight FMD. USDA and the cooperating research organizations have formed the FMD Global Research Alliance to provide tools to countries affected with FMD to slow down the virus and to ensure that FMD-free countries do not have outbreaks of the disease. The United States has not had an outbreak of FMD since 1929.

Renewable Energy Grants:  USDA Secretary Ann Veneman announced Tuesday the availability of approximately $23 million in grants that will support President Bush's energy plan to develop renewable energy systems and promote energy efficiency improvements.  The Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program was created as part of the 2002 Farm Bill to help farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses develop renewable energy systems and improve energy efficiency on their operations. Applicants for the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program must be agricultural producers or rural small businesses, U.S. citizens or legal residents, and have demonstrated financial need.  Rural Development grant funds may be used to pay up to 25 percent of the eligible project costs.  Eligible projects include those that derive energy from a wind, solar, biomass, or geothermal source, or hydrogen derived from biomass or water using wind, solar, or geothermal energy sources.  Applications must be completed and submitted with a postmark no later than 75 days from the May 5, 2004 Federal Register publication of the notice of funding availability.  Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

USDA Investigates Texas Situation:  The USDA has reportedly asked the Office of Program Evaluation, Enforcement and Review (PEER) to rigorously investigate the circumstances surrounding a suspect cow that was taken to slaughter last April 27 in Texas.  PEER is an independent investigations and review unit of FSIS that regularly works with the Office of Inspector General and the General Accounting Office.  USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and FSIS released a joint statement this week saying the animal was condemned and prohibited from entering the human food chain on antemortem inspection by an FSIS vet who observed the cow having symptoms that might indicate a CNS disorder.  The statement said "standard procedures call for animals condemned due to possible CNS disorder to be kept until APHIS officials can collect samples for testing.  However, this did not occur in this case and the animal was sent to rendering." The FDA feed ban prohibits rendered products from this or any other cow to be fed to other ruminants. 

Walk a Mile Program: NCBA’s Associate Director of Environmental Affairs Megan Tipton is attending meetings today at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV to discuss conservation and learning exchange programs for cattle producers. The NCRC trains and educates natural resource managers and is the "home of the Fish and Wildlife Service." NCBA will discuss the latest developments and current implementation of the Walk a Mile Program. Cattle producers from various regions across the country have participated in the innovative "Walk a Mile in My Boots" program, which gives U.S. cattlemen and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees an opportunity to conduct a job-exchange. For more information, photos of the exchanges, or sign-up sheets, go to the website: walkamile.fws.gov or call 202-347-0228.

NCBA at Harvard: NCBA’s Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Gary Weber, spoke to a group at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government this Thursday. He discussed top regulatory and policy issues affecting the cattle industry, including BSE, and to explained how NCBA has worked for decades in Washington D.C. on behalf of all cattlemen across the nation.

NCBA at University of Florida: NCBA’s Director of Legislative Affairs, Bryan Dierlam, joined a group of cattle producers at the University of Florida’s Beef Cattle Short-Course this week. Bryan spoke about current legislative issues affecting cattle producer’s livelihoods in Washington D.C., including Animal ID, BSE, country of origin labeling, and trade issues.

NCBA Talks to Broadcasters:  The National Association of Farm Broadcaster’s (NAFB) annual "Washington Watch" meeting concluded this week.  On Sunday, NCBA’s Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Jay Truitt and Chief Economist Gregg Doud conducted more than twenty interviews with farm broadcasters during their Issues Forum.  Doud also spoke at the NAFB's Ag Outlook Perspective Breakfast on Monday morning.  Monday afternoon, Vice President of Government Affairs Chandler Keys and Director of Legislative Affairs Bryan Dierlam attended the NAFB reception on Capitol Hill and offered additional interviews for NAFB members.  These interviews are already airing on farm broadcasting stations in your area. 

Media Contact:

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

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