CattleNetwork.com, KS
12-08-06
Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns: Korea, Drought Monitoring System, Animal ID
Cattlemen Fume at Korea’s Rejection of Third Shipment: South Korean officials
rejected a third shipment of U.S. beef this week saying all three shipments
contained bone fragments. Bone is not a Specified Risk Material, and the
reported presence of the bone in the beef shipped to Korea does not violate any
food safety requirements. In 2003, South Korea imported 184 million
pounds&nbspof bone-in beef from the United States.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said December 6 the third rejection
“clearly illustrates that South Korean officials are determined to find an excuse to
reject all beef products from the United States…This is unacceptable and
certainly not the way trading partners should work with one another.”
In a letter sent December 1, NCBA asked Johanns to remove the protocol for
trade with South Korea from the FSIS Export Library so U.S. producers won’t
have false expectations of Korea as a potential marketplace. When asked at a
press briefing if he will remove the protocol, Johanns said he felt that step wasn’t
necessary to discourage U.S. companies from attempting to send product to
Korea. “They can’t afford to send product over there only to face whatever the
reason is for rejecting the product and then pick up all of the cost of that,” said
Johanns. “I think effectively today South Korea’s market is as closed to the
United States as it was six months ago.”
U.S. government officials and cattle industry leaders are discussing various
courses of action in response to Korea’s rejection of U.S. beef shipments due to
the discovery of bone chips. NCBA also sent a letter late last week to President
Bush urging the Administration to “take all possible actions to bring about a
resolution to this conflict with South Korea.” NCBA says “if a desirable resolution
is impossible, we urge you to consider alternative actions to be taken from that
point forward.”
Free Trade Talks Take Center Stage in Montana: As U.S. and Korean
government officials continue free trade negotiations, Korea’s unwillingness to
play by the rules on beef trade is putting a potential free trade agreement at risk.
The fifth round of free trade talks between South Korea and the United States is
going on this week in Montana. In conjunction with these meetings, Montana
Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) Executive Vice President Errol Rice and other
leaders within MSGA met with Korean representatives on December 3 to relay
first-hand the frustrations felt by U.S. cattle producers as U.S. beef shipments are
rejected by Korean inspectors.
“We reminded the Koreans that bone chip fragments are not a Specified Risk
Material,” said Rice. “We said discussions need to move away from the topic of
bone chips, and Korea must establish some sort of a tolerance based on
science.” Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) was also present at the meeting and
told Korean officials that his support for a free trade agreement hinges on
whether United States’ beef producers get total access to the Korean market.
White House Needs to Hear From Cattle Producers On Korean Trade Impasse:
In addition to NCBA’s December 1st letter to the White House, cattle producers
across the country are urged to send a letter of their own to President Bush.
NCBA members can visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa to customize a personal
letter to the White House regarding the ongoing trade impasse with South Korea.
For your reference, we also have updated our most recent fact sheet regarding
the ongoing situation with South Korea. It is posted on the www.beefusa.org web
site under “Government Affairs” > “International Trade.”
Congressional Schedule: Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week
following two weeks off for Thanksgiving break. Time has all but run out for the
109th Congress as they are scheduled to adjourn at the end of the week. In the
meantime, Congress appeared focused on completing a tax extender bill and a
trade package. Work on appropriations seems to have come to a halt as many
House appropriators say it is too late to finish any of the nine remaining
appropriations bills. Lawmakers are expected to pass a continuing resolution
later this week to provide funding for government programs through February 15.
The 110th Congress has announced they will convene on January 4 at noon.
Drought Monitoring System Moves Forward: The Senate cleared the way
December 6 for the establishment of a National Integrated Drought Information
System (NIDIS). The NIDIS bill, which was introduced in both the House (H.R.
5136, introduced by Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas) and Senate (S. 2752, introduced
by Senator Ben Nelson, D-Neb.), now heads to the President’s desk.
When signed into law, the bill will authorize $81 million through fiscal year 2012
for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish an
integrated drought forecasting system with the express goal of providing usable,
reliable, and timely drought forecasts. This early warning system could serve as
an asset to farmers and ranchers by helping to predict and monitor the
devastating effects of drought.
Vietnam Vote Could Come This Week: As Congress winds down this week, they
could still vote to approve permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with
Vietnam. The legislation, a prerequisite for the U.S. to benefit from Vietnam’s
entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), failed to obtain the required twothirds majority in the House November 13, and supporters have said they want to
bring up the measure again this week.
Vietnam and the United States signed a WTO accession deal May 31, but
Congress must pass PNTR for the U.S. to fully benefit from Vietnam’s accession.
For cattlemen, the U.S. has negotiated a lucrative bilateral market access
package with Vietnam. Under the terms of the agreement, approximately threefourths of U.S. agricultural exports – including beef – to Vietnam will have duties
reduced to 15 percent or less, while Vietnam will gain no greater access to the
U.S. market. Vietnam was roughly a $9.8 million market for U.S. beef and beef
variety meats in 2005 after reopening its market&nbspin November 2004.
Key Cattlemen Issues Must Stay on Congress’s Radar: NCBA has been
monitoring a number of key issues as the 109th Congress prepares to come to a
close, including Superfund, dust regulations, disaster assistance, and Death Tax.
While NCBA is still actively communicating with leaders in Washington on these
issues, it is unlikely the 109th Congress will be able to complete any of the
legislation needed to solve many of these problems for cattlemen. But there is
still work to be done.
“This does not lessen the need for cattle producers in the countryside to hold
their elected officials’ feet to the fire,” says Jay Truitt, NCBA vice president of
government affairs. “Cattlemen need to call, visit, write, fax and talk to their
member of Congress every time they can – while they are at home over the
holidays and again when they come back to Washington – and impress upon
them exactly how these problems affect their businesses.”
NCBA says many of these issues – like the Death Tax – affect whether or not a
ranching family can pass on their operation to their children. “In some instances,
the future of a family’s cattle operation depends literally on the actions of
Congress. Congress has failed to act, but NCBA will not stop working just
because a new Congress comes to town in January, and neither should our
members.” NCBA members across the nation can visit
http://capwiz.com/beefusa to send a personal message to their members of
Congress on many of these key issues.
Endangered Species Act Legislation Introduced: This week, Senators Mike
Crapo (R-Idaho), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Max
Baucus (D-Mont.) and Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) introduced S. 4087, the
“Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2006.“ The bill, which seeks to give tax
incentives to private landowners for providing habitat for endangered species and
for implementing species recovery plans, has been referred to the Senate
Finance Committee for consideration.
NCBA and the Public Lands Council support efforts to provide financial
incentives to landowners and others who work through easements and
restoration projects to provide enhanced habitat for wildlife – especially
endangered species. Ranchers have been supportive for some time of efforts to
reform the Endangered Species Act and give greater weight to local and
voluntary conservation programs. But livestock producers remain cautious of
any policies that remove land from use in agriculture production and that provide
for “permanent” plans for wildlife, even after a species has been recovered.
While it is not expected that there will be action on this bill during the remaining
days of the 109th Congress, the measure is expected to be re-introduced when
the 110th Congress convenes.
Farm Foundation Forum: Incoming House Ag Committee Chairman Collin
Peterson (D-Minn.) was the guest speaker at this month’s Farm
Foundation&nbspFarm Bill forum on December 6. NCBA’s Manager of
Legislative&nbspAffairs Jason Jordan attended the forum and participated in the
discussion on potential agenda items the&nbspag&nbspcommittee might take up
during the 110th Congress, especially in regards to the new Farm Bill. In his
remarks, Peterson&nbspcited&nbspa tighter budget as&nbspthe initial challenge
going into development of the new Farm Bill, but he&nbspalso expressed interest
in a permanent disaster assistance program though funding for that&nbspcould
be difficult to find. Peterson also said&nbsphe hopes to have the new Farm Bill
completed and passed by mid-September 2007.
Iowa Cattlemen’s Winter Conference: NCBA Executive Director of Legislative
Affairs Colin Woodall is in Des Moines for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Winter
Conference, December 7-8. Colin spoke today, December 7, as part of an
Industry Issues Forum. Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, Dean and Director, Iowa
State University College of Agriculture, and Bill Northey, Secretary of
Agriculture-Elect also appeared on the panel. For more information, visit:
www.iacattlemen.org.
Animal ID Premises Registration Materials Available: USDA’s new National
Animal Identification System (NAIS) User Guide and updated premises
registration materials are available online at: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais.
This User Guide is the most current plan for the NAIS and replaces all previously
published program documents, including the 2005 Draft Strategic Plan and Draft
Program Standards and the 2006 Implementation Strategies. For community
outreach leaders, a DVD of “printer-ready“ copies of the brochures or fact sheets
is available from USDA’s Office of Communications.
This December, Gift Someone with an ESAP Nomination: The holidays are
almost upon us, a time when we are supposed to be thinking of others. What
better time to pull together a nomination for the 2007 Environmental Stewardship
Award Program (ESAP)? Think of those deserving ranching families that give
back to the environment day in and day out.
Give the gift of appreciation by nominating a U.S. cattle producer who deserves
national recognition for a job well done. Seven regional winners and one national
winner are honored each year for their commitment to protecting the environment
and improving fish and wildlife habitats while operating profitable cattle
operations. ESAP was established in 1991 by NCBA and is made possible by the
generous support of Dow AgroSciences, LLC, and USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS).
Remember, these nomination applications take some time to complete, and the
final nomination forms are due on March 17, 2007. Any organization, group, or
individual can submit a nomination on behalf of a U.S. cattle producer. Go to
www.beefusa.org/esap or contact NCBA’s Washington, D.C. office to request the
application at 202-347-0228.
Convention Program Jam-Packed for Cattlemen: Preparations are underway for
the 2007 Cattle Industry Annual Convention & Trade Show, January 31-February
3 in Nashville, Tennessee. Go to http://www.beefusa.org/convregistration.aspx to
get updated program information and for instructions on how to register. The
deadline for pre-registrations, including ticket additions or changes, is January 5.
After January 6, attendees must register on-site and pay the higher registration
fees.
This annual event brings together thousands of cattle producers from all across
the nation.
Convention highlights include: Cattlemen’s College® (Sponsored by Pfizer
Animal Health), Cattle-Fax Annual Outlook Seminar, and our Beef Industry
Issues Forums. Attendees can also attend events supporting NCBA’s Political
Action Committee (NCBA-PAC) and honoring the winners of the Environmental
Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). Most importantly, NCBA members will
attend committee meetings, discuss key policy issues, and develop new policy
for consideration at the NCBA Board of Directors Meeting on February 3. This is
the most important policy development meeting of the year! Make sure your
voice is heard and your concerns are addressed in Nashville!