Senate Moving Forward with Appropriations
The Senate approved a $48.6 billion FY2006 Commerce, Justice,
Science appropriations bill this week, the sixth of 12 annual spending
bills to be approved.
The House passed their version of the bill in June. The Senate has appointed
Conferees to hammer out the differences between the House and Senate versions. Under the Senate version, NASA would receive $16.4 billion and the National
Science Foundation would get $5.5 billion, similar to the Bush budget.
Moving onto FDA and farm issues, the Senate has taken up FY2006 Agriculture
Appropriations bill which is expected to tie up the floor all week. Return to top Akaka Moves to Prohibit Purchase of Research Animals
from Class B Dealers
Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) filed an amendment he
intends to offer on the FY2006 ag appropriations bill to prohibit USDA
(and FDA) funding to research
institutions that
purchase animals from Class B dealers. Akaka earlier this year introduced
the Pet Safety and Protection Act, to completely ban research institutions
from purchasing animals from Class B dealers.
Class B dealers are licensed and regulated by USDA. The dealers acquire animals
from pounds and shelters, pet owners who wish to give up their ownership, and
other credible sources. If adopted, the Akaka amendment has serious implications
for life-saving biomedical research. Even though the number of dogs and cats
involved in research has declined significantly since the 1970’s, random
source animals continue to serve a valuable purpose in medical and scientific
research as well as teaching. Most dogs and cats involved in research are purpose-bred
animals; however, certain types of studies require animals that are not available
from breeders. These studies include: vaccine, drug and therapy research for
pets; orthopedic studies; cardiovascular studies; prostate cancer research,
and; research into “orphan” genetic diseases.
The National Association for
Biomedical Research (NABR) is asking research
institutions to contact their Senators urging opposition to the Akaka amendment.
Return to top
Despite USDA Rules, Akaka Moves Against Nonambulatory
Livestock
In a second agriculture appropriations amendment, Sen. Daniel
Akaka (D-HI) proposes to withhold USDA
funding to inspect “any cattle, sheep, swine, or goats, or horses, mules,
or other equines…unable to stand or walk unassisted at a slaughtering,
packing, meat-canning, rendering, or similar establishment,” his
third attempt in as many congresses to take all nonambulatory livestock
-- no matter the reason -- out of the food chain.
The Farm Animal Welfare Coalition (FAWC), made up
of the nation’s largest general farm, livestock and feed
groups, points out that USDA has
already banned nonambulatory ruminants from the food supply because
of BSE. FAWC sent a letter to the entire Senate arguing the Akaka
amendment is unnecessary since USDA banned so-called “downers” as
part of its BSE rulemakings. The group also pointed out the amendment
is seriously flawed and would impact other species as well as those
listed in the proposed amendment.
Known to be a high legislative priority of the animal rights group
Humane Society of the U.S., FAWC had this to say about the amendment, “There
has been unreasonable public speculation by HSUS and animal rights
groups that USDA may amend BSE regulations to allow nonambulatory livestock
to be processed for human food. While the federal BSE mitigation system
is a dynamic process, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns has said
publicly there is no such plan at USDA at this time.”
Return to top USDA, USTR off to Paris to Talk Trade
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and U.S. Special Trade Representative
Rob Portman reportedly will be in Paris next week to meet with European,
Brazilian and Indian trade officials, and could be joined by representatives
of Australia and other countries, according to media reports. Neither
USDA nor USTR would confirm the trip as of late Friday. One of the
participants in next week’s meetings, European Union Agriculture
Minister Mariann Fischer Boel, just completed a four-day trip to Washington,
DC, meeting with USDA, USTR and several members of Congress. She also
addressed the Commodity Club, a group of DC-based ag and food trade
associations.
Both the White House and Capitol Hill have been vocal
on trade this week. President Bush pushed for an end to ag trade subsidies
and Senate
Agriculture Committee Chair Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) called for the EU
to open its markets. Chambliss also said he told Portman to make no
commitments at this time on the U.S. ending domestic farm subsidies.
For her part, Bohl said she’s optimistic about prospects for
the Hong Kong DOHA ministerial meeting in December, but said she got
mixed messages from members of Congress with whom she visited.
It’s reported Bohl delivered a message to the U.S. that the
EU wants America to offer to reduce its countercyclical farm payments.
The U.S. wants EU tariff cuts.
Return to top
Senate Approves ‘Combat Meth’ Act
The Senate this week passed the “Combat Meth Act of 2005,” a
bill designed to regulate and limit the sale of pseudoephredrine, an
ingredient used in the production of illegal methamphetamine. The Fertilizer
Institute and others praised the action by the Senate as fertilizer
and ag chemical dealers have experienced growing theft of the chemical
for manufacturing the illegal substance.
Return to top USDA Plans to Close 665 FSA Offices
USDA wants to close 665, or more than 25%, of its
Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices around the country, according to
a story by the Associated
Press (AP) this week. While USDA did not officially verify its intent
or the story, AP reported Undersecretary J.B. Penn said he had not
seen
a document obtained by the wire service on which it based its story,
but that the numbers being cited were inaccurate.
Penn said USDA is focusing on consolidating functions and improving
service, not closing offices. Penn also spoke to the chairs of the
Senate Agriculture Committee and the House Appropriations subcommittee
on agriculture about FSA modernization efforts. More Capitol Hill briefings
are planned. State FSA directors will be in Washington, DC next week
for briefings as well.
FSA has offices in nearly every county in America,
many using outdated computer and technical services. In some offices,
it’s estimated it costs $2 for every dollar in assistance provided.
Return to top Dorgan Says ND University Study Shows Need to Harmonize US, Canada
Pesticide Trade Rules
A North Dakota State University study released this week by Sen. Byron
Dorgan (D-ND) shows his state’s farmers alone could save as much
as $41 million a year if a Dorgan bill to allow free movement of pesticides
between Canada and the U.S. were enacted. In a 17-state survey done
by the university’s Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade
Studies, the national savings from free pesticide movement would be
$178 million a year.
Dorgan’s bill aims at eliminating price differences
between Canada and the U.S. for the same pesticide products.
He cited “unnecessary
barriers to trade in pesticide” that translate to much higher
prices for U.S. producers, in some cases costing a U.S. producer twice
as much as in Canada for the same product, made by the same manufacturer
and sold under the same product name.
Return to top Johnson New USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development
Allan Johnson, director of legislative and public affairs in USDA
Office of Rural Development since 2003, has been named by the President
to be deputy undersecretary for rural development. Prior to joining
USDA, Johnson was president of Farm Progress Companies, a leading farm
publisher, and worked as a consultant after retiring from Farm Progress
in 2000. Johnson will assist Undersecretary for Rural Development Tom
Dorr.
Return to top Canada Aims for 800,000 Metric Tons of Exports by 2015, Less U.S.
Market
As part of its BSE recovery plan, the Canadian beef industry is shooting
for exports of processed beef to hit 800,000 metric tons a year by
2015, while at the same time reducing its reliance on the U.S. market.
The Canadian Beef Export Federation reported that based on increased
slaughter capacity and slaughter rates, Canada expects to export 700,000
mt of beef by 2010, and to hit the 2015 target easily while shipping
about 50% of those totals to the U.S. Currently, Canada ships about
90% of its processed beef to the U.S.
Return to top
New Bills
A number of new bills have been introduced. Click
here to send a request for a copy of the text or more information about
the bill.
S.1692
A bill proposed by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) provides disaster assistance
to agricultural producers for crop and livestock losses.
S.1695
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered legislation giving the Secretary of
Agriculture additional authority and funding to provide emergency
relief, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security,
to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
H.R.3754
Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) introduced a bill to provide disaster assistance
to agricultural producers for 2005 crop and livestock losses.
H.R.3755
Rep. David Reichert (R-WA) offered a bill providing increased penalties
for methamphetamine traffickers.
H.R.3756
Reichert also introduced language to amend the Controlled Substances
Act and the United States Code with respect to methamphetamine.
H.R.3757
Legislation proposed by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) provides for health
opportunity accounts under the Medicaid Program.
H.R.3762
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) introduced a bill to require higher standards
of automobile fuel efficiency in order to reduce the amount of oil
used for fuel by automobiles in the U.S. by 10 percent beginning
in 2016.
H.R.3782
A bill proposed by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) prohibits price gouging
of gasoline and diesel fuel in areas declared major disasters.
H.R.3791
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) offered legislation for the deferment of
acquisition of petroleum for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
H.R.3792
Brown also proposed language to establish a Gasoline Availability Stabilization
Reserve.
H.R.3807
Rep. Robert Ney (R-OH) introduced a bill creating a uniform national
standard for gasoline, eliminating “boutique” fuels and
requiring the Secretary of Energy to construct, and sell to private
businesses, 15 new gasoline refineries.
H.R.3808
Ney also offered legislation to provide criminal penalties for price
gouging during times of disaster.
H.R.3809
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced a bill in response to Hurricane
Katrina and other natural disasters in 2005 that adversely affect
food assistance, agricultural producers and households.
H.R.3811
Language proposed by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) terminates the effect of
laws prohibiting the spending of appropriated funds to conduct
oil and natural
gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental
Shelf.
Return to top
Inside
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