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Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns Archive
Contact:
Bethany Shively,
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 would like to include NCBA's logo, contact us at 303-694-0305. | |
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OIE Addresses Climate Change, BSE During General Session
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) held its General Session this week in Paris.
Following a technical report entitled, "Impact of climate change and environmental changes on emerging and re-emerging animal disease and animal production", presented by Australian expert Dr Peter Black, OIE participants voted to confirm that climate change has an impact on the emergence and re-emergence of animal disease. The three animal diseases most frequently mentioned by the OIE members that responded were bluetongue, Rift Valley fever and West Nile fever.
The OIE also voted to grant Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) "controlled risk" status to Japan. We hope this decision--which now puts Japan at the same BSE-risk status as the U.S.--will have a positive effect on our ongoing efforts to increase market access for U.S. beef in Japan. Japan's restriction on beef products from cattle over 21 months is limiting the U.S. to about 25% of our potential market there-which translates to more than $1 billion in untapped beef export revenues each year.
NCBA also continues to encourage the U.S. government to submit the appropriate information for OIE to conduct a review of our current BSE risk status. NCBA believes the U.S. has demonstrated our country should be classified as a "negligible risk" country.
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Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Extended to Public Lands
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a final rule authorizing the use of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds for conservation efforts on public lands. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), the Public Lands Council (PLC), and other conservation and ranching groups had requested this language in comments submitted to USDA in March.
In the interim rule, USDA proposed an unworkable standard for enrolling public lands in EQIP. Although the program is principally intended to serve production agriculture and address natural resource concerns on private lands, in many western states, production agriculture occurs on private, state, and federal lands. The final rule acknowledges the importance of conservation practices on public lands as a necessary a tool, not only to improve the condition of resources on the public land, but to benefit surrounding private lands.
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Western Resources Legal Center Takes On Sage Grouse Case for PLC
The Public Lands Council (PLC) will be represented by the Western Resources Legal Center (WRLC) on a case involving the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Western Resources Legal Center, associated with the Lewis and Clark law school in Portland, Ore., is the nation's only hands-on training program specializing in legal advocacy for natural resource users. The center's primary purpose is to provide law students with an opportunity to develop practical legal skills and specific knowledge of natural resources and environmental laws through the legal representation of natural resource users.
The WRLC will assist PLC to intervene on behalf of BLM on a case brought against BLM by environmental groups. The case challenges BLM range, mineral development, and vegetation treatment decisions in Idaho and Nevada under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and other statutes for failure to adequately consider the impact of these decisions on sage grouse habitat.
"The Bureau of Land Management is tasked with meeting its responsibilities to wildlife while still supporting ranching," says Jeff Eisenberg, Executive Director of PLC. "Their decisions on the sage grouse habitat reflect that dual priority. If these decisions are overturned, it could harm Western ranchers and their ability to raise cattle for our nation."
"This case affects millions of acres of land and many ranching families in Idaho and Nevada," says Caroline Lobdell, Executive Director of WRLC. "Not only is it an important case, but it also gives our students critical experience in federal land management decisions under conventional environmental statutes, and more obscure provisions such as appropriation riders."
"We are very excited to have WRLC on our case," says Eisenberg. "Their assistance will be crucial in securing a favorable decision for America's farmers and ranchers."
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USDA to Offer Additional NAIS Listening Sessions The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has scheduled additional public listening sessions regarding the implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). USDA held initial sessions at six locations around the country (the seventh and final in the series will be held June 1 in Loveland, Colo.). The additional sessions, announced in the May 22 Federal Register, are scheduled as follows: June 9 in Jefferson City, Mo.; June 11 in Rapid City, S.D.; June 16 in Albuquerque, N.M.; June 18 in Riverside, Calif.; June 25 in Raleigh, N.C.; and June 27 in Jasper, Fla. For more information, visit: www.usda.gov/nais/feedback.shtml
NCBA advocates a voluntary animal identification system that is workable, affordable and able to move at the speed of commerce to enable state and federal animal health officials to respond rapidly and effectively to animal health emergencies, such as foreign animal disease outbreaks or emerging domestic diseases. NCBA is committed to working with USDA in recommending continued refinements to NAIS, and we look forward to these discussions in the further development of a workable system.
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Young Cattlemen's Conference Heads to Washington, DC
Participants in the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's (NCBA) 30th annual Young Cattlemen's Conference (YCC) will head to the nation's capitol next week to meet with members of the U.S. Congress, Senate, and the Administration to discuss policy issues affecting today's beef industry.
The 10-day tour kicks off today in Denver with a comprehensive overview of the industry. Participants will then head to western Kansas, Sioux City, Iowa and Chicago, before ending the trip in DC. Fifty-four young cattle industry leaders from across the country are participating in this year's tour, which will expose them to all aspects of the beef industry, including industry structure, issues management, production research, and marketing.
The YCC tour has become the cornerstone of leadership training efforts within the cattle industry. Over 950 cattlemen and women have graduated from the YCC program since its inception in 1980. Many of these alumni have gone on to serve in influential leadership roles within the industry.
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Don't Miss NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen!
Don't miss NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen, June 2 - 6, as we take a look at how this difficult economy is impacting beef demand. We'll also have fuel efficiency tips for your farm equipment from John Deere, and spend a day in the life of a ranching family in western Arkansas. And we'll have the latest from cowboy poet Baxter Black!
NCBA'S Cattlemen to Cattlemen is now an hour long! The show debuts Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. and airs again Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. (all times are Eastern). Don't forget, you can watch NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen online anytime by visiting www.CattlemenToCattlemen.org
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NATIONAL CATTLEMEN'S BEEF ASSOCIATION
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20004 | |
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