With USCA's help, "Keep America FMD-Free" Bill introduced in Congress
The US Cattlemen's Association (USCA) on July 10 hailed the introduction of legislation in the US Senate that would block meat shipments from Argentina until that country is free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), an airborne livestock disease that is devastating to livestock production.
Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) introduced the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevention Act of 2008, which would add common sense to a proposal by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would allow importation of Argentine fresh and pre-packaged beef, lamb and other meat from select regions of Argentina, as well as live animals.
"Cattlemen from across the country appreciate Senator Johnson and Senator Enzi along with the other co-sponsors of this important legislation," said Jon Wooster, a California rancher and USCA president. "We're calling it the 'Keep America FMD-Free' Bill." Wooster explained that an outbreak of FMD within the US cattle industry would bring livestock commerce to a standstill overnight and would likely result in the depopulation of millions of cattle, hogs, lambs, goats and wildlife. The American Veterinary Medical Association has deemed FMD the most economically devastating of all livestock diseases. A recent study by Kansas State University found that an outbreak of FMD would cost the state of Kansas alone nearly $1 billion.
Montana Farm Bureau, Stockgrowers present brucellosis management plan
The Montana Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) and the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) have begun to work with producers to develop a "hot spot" management pilot project as a solution to the brucellosis problem in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA).
Montana, Wyoming and Idaho have all had domestic livestock infected from the wildlife brucellosis pool centered in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Brucellosis not only affects livestock producers financially, as it causes abortions in cattle and the state to lose its brucellosis-free status, but the disease also threatens wildlife welfare because it causes abortions in elk and bison.
The plan is currently in the discussion stage and will continue to be refined with input from government officials and other interested parties such as wildlife groups and area producers. The MFBF and MSGA are working hard to generate broad-based support for the initiative.
USDA increases 2007 crop year sugar marketing allotments
In response to a tightening domestic refined sugar market, the US Department of Agriculture has increased the 2007 crop year sugar overall allotment quantity by 500,000 short tons, raw value.
The overall allotment quantity (OAQ) is the quantity of sugar that may be marketed in the United States without being subject to penalties. USDA expects this action to effectively eliminate marketing allotment program restrictions on domestic sugarbeet and sugarcane processors and increase the 2007 crop year marketable sugar supply by 100,000 to 200,000 tons.
The domestic refined sugar market has tightened considerably in recent months. Refined sugar supplies have been severely reduced by the tragic explosion at a major sugar refinery and by lower 2008 sugarbeet acreage due to high grain prices and poor planting conditions. In addition, domestic deliveries of sugar for food use are projected to increase by 3% in fiscal year FY08.
Temporary restraining order halts CRP haying and grazing
Last week a Seattle, Washington federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that halted, at least for awhile, haying and grazing of about 24 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had announced in May that it was authorizing the use of CRP for haying and forage to feed livestock this summer. With skyrocketing feed prices and drought afflicting some areas of the West, the announcement was welcome news to some livestock producers. The authorization became effective only after the end of the primary wildlife-nesting season, and USDA determined it would not have a detrimental effect on the environment or wildlife. Unfortunately, some environmental groups objected.
A hearing has been set for July 17 on the matter, but the program remains on hold until the outcome of the hearing. The restraining order does not affect the release of CRP acreages for livestock grazing in counties recently designated as Presidential Disaster Areas because of flooding.
R-CALF wins third injunction against BSE rules
The United States District Court - District of South Dakota Northern Division - on July 3 granted in part a motion for a preliminary injunction against the US Department of Agriculture's OTM (over-30-month) Rule, filed by R-CALF USA and 10 additional plaintiffs.
The OTM Rule, which took effect on Nov. 19, 2007, opened the Canadian border to imports of live cattle born after March 1, 1999, and beef products from Canadian cattle of any age.
In his 21-page opinion, US District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol ordered that Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction be granted in part, and that "the case be remanded to the USDA to promptly provide notice and comment on the OTM beef provisions... and to revise any provisions of the OTM Rule it deems necessary." The District Court also ordered that the remainder of the plaintiffs' case be stayed during the administrative proceeding required by the remand.
"For the third time in this five-year battle to secure adequate protections for both US consumers and US cattle producers, R-CALF USA was awarded an injunction against USDA's wrongful actions," said R-CALF president Max Thornsberry. "This latest decision demonstrates the legitimacy of R-CALF USA's persistent claim that USDA is cavalierly exposing consumers and cattle producers to a known source of BSE contamination.
