Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: September 16, 2004

Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns

September 16, 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 the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Japanese Trade: Government-to-government negotiations continue this week regarding U.S. beef exports to Japan. Various press reports and rumors are flying around, but so far, all negotiations are still a work in progress. This continues to be government-to-government negotiation, and NCBA has worked tirelessly for months to emphasize the importance of regaining expedited access to this top export market for U.S. beef and beef products. We are hoping to hear some sort of direction by next week, surrounding meetings scheduled for Tuesday, September 21st with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Bush. This meeting is considered a big step in the process.

Disaster and Drought Relief: This week, the U.S. Senate added a $2.9 billion emergency aid package to the Fiscal Year 2005 Homeland Security spending bill. The package is intended to help those farm states who have been victim to the most severe conditions of drought, flooding and frost. In the $2.9 billion aid package, approximately $2.5 billion was allocated for USDA’s crop disaster program, $475 million was allocated for a Livestock Assistance Program, and $20 million for tree assistance.  NCBA has been told that the Homeland Security measure will be heading for conference possibly this week or next but for sure should be wrapped up before the start of October 1st. Further updates will follow once the final bill has been moved out of conference.

Agriculture Secretary Veneman also announced that an additional $1 million will be provided to help hurricane recovery efforts in Florida. According to the USDA announcement, the environmental restoration funds are being made available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP).  The funds will help restore critical agricultural and community infrastructure disrupted by flooding, severe streambank erosion and debris deposits. This funding brings the total to $1.6 million for emergency environmental restoration work in Florida areas hit by Hurricanes Charley and Frances. NCBA members and state associations continue to work in conjunction with Florida Cattlemen’s Association to aid in relief efforts for Florida cattle producers. After this week’s Hurricane Ivan hits the Gulf Coast, cattle producers in these affected areas may be in dire need of another round of disaster relief. NCBA is dedicated to assisting all producers suffering from this year’s drastic weather conditions.

Senate Appropriations: The Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of the FY 2005 Agriculture, Interior, and Transportation/Treasury appropriations bills this week.  In a recap of the highlights affecting cattle producers, the Agriculture bill includes $84 billion in funding with increases of $260 million for USDA and FDA homeland security efforts over FY04, as well as an increase of $109 million for food safety activities over FY04.  Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) offered an amendment that would move up the implementation of a mandatory country of origin labeling program to January 1, 2005, which did not carry.  The Interior bill includes $20.2 billion in funding with an increase of $500 million for fire-fighting. Two amendments were offered to this bill regarding abandoned mines and management of water in the Missouri River.  The bills were then reported out of committee to the Senate floor by a vote of 29-0.

NCBA Comments on BSE: This week, NCBA sent two sets of comments regarding possible additional BSE safeguards in the U.S., submitted to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). NCBA’s comments were submitted regarding the questions asked in the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) published July 14, 2004.  The ANPR is the first step in rulemaking and APHIS and FSIS both used this opportunity to ask questions regarding the International Review Team report and for more clarification following the comment period on the FSIS Interim Final Rule on Specified Risk Material removal. Full copies of the comments are found online at:

(1) APHIS Comments: http://hill.beef.org/viewNEW.asp?DocumentID=13341

(2) FSIS Comments:  http://hill.beef.org/viewNEW.asp?DocumentID=13342

USDA Secretary on the Farm:  This Friday, September 17, USDA Secretary Veneman is scheduled to address participants in the 2004 National Angus Conference and Tour at Whitestone Farms in Aldie, Virginia - an angus operation outside of Washington, D.C. This four-day event is held in Roanoke but will journey through Virginia as participants get the opportunity to visit several operations around the state and hear from American Angus Association (AAA) staff members, USDA officials, and other industry leaders, including NCBA President, Jan Lyons, an Angus producer from Kansas.  The conference kicks off September 14, 2004 in Roanoke, Virginia.  For information on the 2004 National Angus Conference and Tour go to:  www.nationalangusconference.com.

Marketing Regulations: The Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is responsible for enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&S Act). Currently GIPSA is evaluating some of the regulations under the P&S act to make a determination if some of the regulations issued under the act need updating. Specifically, GIPSA is looking at the regulations that set forth bonding requirements for livestock marketing agencies. GIPSA has developed a bonding task force to review and evaluate current bonding requirements. The task force has asked NCBA to provide input regarding some questions about bonding that the task force has raised. NCBA's Livestock Marketing Council, which represents the interests of U.S. livestock marketing agencies and dealers, has met via conference calls to discuss the bonding issue. NCBA will continue to work closely with GIPSA officials to monitor any potential changes that could occur as a result of the task forces findings.

Frivolous Environmental Lawsuits: The Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act (LARA), HR 4571, was approved by the full U.S. House on Tuesday, September 14. According to the House Resources Committee, the bill will make great strides in stemming the tide of frivolous litigation initiated by environmental fundraising organizations. H.R. 4571 would restore mandatory sanctions for filing frivolous lawsuits in violation of Role 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) says "Frivolous lawsuits filed under the guise of environmentalism actually hurt the environment and hinder economic growth at the same time… environmental litigation has become big business in America." NCBA agrees that frivolous lawsuits hinder the recovery of endangered species, and decisions relating to ESA listings and designations are driven solely by litigation. These lawsuits jeopardize vital forest health, fire prevention projects, the livelihood of rural Americans and cost millions in legal fees. A copy of the bill is found at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:h4571eh.txt.pdf

House Majority Whip in NCBA Offices: Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt visited NCBA's Washington D.C. office this week for an informal event to discuss priority issues affecting the cattle industry. As Whip, the third highest job in the House, Congressman Blunt is responsible for corralling the votes necessary to complete the Republican agenda. Blunt serves on the Committee on International Relations. NCBA had the opportunity to discuss one-on-one the top current policy issues affecting cattle producers.

Endangered Species: NCBA and the Public Lands Council (PLC) hosted a meeting at the NCBA D.C. office this week on issues surrounding the Endangered Species Act. The meeting brought together industry and environmental groups to identify priorities agreed upon for ESA reform. Cattle producers believe that there is now common ground to warrant working on mutual, collectively agreed upon legislation for ESA reform.  After the group informally develops a composite list, they will decide if the group can formally support coordinated action to enact the list into law. 

Off-Highway Vehicle Policy:  This week, the PLC submitted its comments regarding the proposed regulation of Off-highway Vehicle (OHV) use in national forests and grasslands.  The proposal, announced on July 7, 2004 by the U.S. Forest Service, would designate routes and areas for use by OHVs.  Among the reasons such regulation is supported by PLC is the need to control OHV use on public grazing lands, curbing the potential damages to watersheds and riparian areas.  Despite the need for enforced OHV policy, PLC expressed concern for the ranchers who rely on OHVs in their ranching operations extending onto public lands. For a full copy online: http://hill.beef.org/viewNEW.asp?DocumentID=13365

D.C. Conservation Workshop RESCHEDULED: Due to inclement weather, the NCBA 'Conservation Workshop' scheduled for Sept. 9, 2004 at Llangollen Farms in Upperville, VA. was moved to Thursday, September 30, 2004. The Virginia winners of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program will be hosting this on-farm conservation workshop experience. The families will be demonstrating the innovative practices they have implemented, and officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will be available to discuss participation in the Farm Bill Cost Share programs.  All media, producers, and the public are welcome to attend, and lunch will be provided. Please contact Megan Tipton if you would like to attend.

Colorado Conservation Workshop: The Colorado Conservation Workshop is scheduled for September 24, 2004. This is a unique opportunity for members of the press to learn about the impressive stewardship practices of today’s cattle producers, on an award-winning ranch. The Colorado winners will be hosting their own workshop at Frasier Farms in Woodrow, Colorado. The families will be demonstrating the innovative practices they have implemented, and officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will be available to discuss participation in the Farm Bill Cost Share programs.  All media, producers, and the public are welcome to attend, and lunch will be provided. Please contact Megan Tipton if you would like to attend, at mtipton@beef.org or 202/347-0228.

USDA Surveillance for BSE: USDA continues its BSE surveillance program which began on June 1. APHIS posts the test results on http://www.aphis.usda.gov. To date, 57,064 tests have been conducted with no positive results reported.

Media Contact:

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

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