June 2016 Articles

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Protecting Our Nation's Cattle Herd

Protecting Our Nation's Cattle Herd Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) From the Kansas-bound cattle drives of the 19th century to the more diversified methods of product transportation of the 21st century, the cattle industry is deeply embedded in our nation's culture and history. Supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across Texas, it is a fundamental part of who we are as a state, and we see that in my district, Texas' 28th, too. With over 5,800 cattle operations in my district alone, and well over 600,000 nationwide, it is very important to me that we protect our domestic ranching operations by continuing to push the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to produce evidence and show that beef products from foreign countries are safe. Last year, Congress included in its Fiscal Year 2016 omnibus funding package a provision that called on the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a transparent process for auditing the health and safety of livestock in certain regions and countries which have been approved for beef imports. This came in response to USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) June 2015 finalization of two proposed rules, one to allow imports of fresh and frozen beef from Brazil and the other to allow imports of fresh and frozen beef and live ruminants (animals like cows and sheep) from Argentina. Yet neither Brazil nor Argentina has met all the requirements for importing beef products. But the issue is much larger than these two countries alone. Organizations like the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) have been engaged in expressing concerns that allowing imports from certain countries could increase the risk of reintroducing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), which the U.S. has been free of since 1929. The industry's concern is well-founded, as is their desire for greater transparency in how APHIS makes its determinations. Foot and Mouth Disease is one of the most contagious diseases in the world and if reintroduced into the United States, it would be economically devastating. FMD can be carried on frozen or fresh beef, and in order to protect our domestic herd, we need to make sure that we are not at risk by trading with countries that still have issues with FMD in their country. The language in the omnibus reasonably directed APHIS to audit the health and safety of foreign livestock. It gave USDA four months to develop a prioritization plan, but USDA has not provided all the necessary information now roughly six months after enactment of the omnibus despite previous assurances that they would comply well within the deadline. When it became clear around the deadline for FY 2017's appropriations requests that no report was immediately forthcoming, working with ndustry, I requested language in FY 2017's Agriculture Appropriations bill to express Congress' continued concern and interest in this matter. The language reiterates the omnibus language and requires APHIS to provide Congress with a more thorough plan to evaluate the risk of introducing foreign animal diseases when allowing new imports into our country. I am pleased to report that the full U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the language in the FY 2017 Agriculture Appropriations bill. Now, let's rally behind the bill and push it through to the finish line. Congressman Cuellar has represented the 28th District of Texas since 2005. He is a member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and previously served as a Texas state representative and as Texas secretary of state. Source: Beltway Beef Newsletter