LEGISLATIVE UPDATE CATTLE PRODUCERS WELCOME HOUSE INTRO OF PRICE ACT
CATTLE PRODUCERS WELCOME SEN. FISCHER’S HAULS ACT
WASHINGTON (Oct. 1, 2020) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today welcomed the introduction of bipartisan legislation to improve the marketing environment for cattle producers.
WASHINGTON (Sept. 29, 2020) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today applauded the introduction of legislation by Sen. Deb Fischer (R - Neb.), that would provide livestock haulers flexibility and critical relief from hours-of-service (HOS) rules.
Introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD.) and bipartisan cosponsors, the Price Reform in Cattle Economics (PRICE) Act addresses several areas of critical importance for cattle producers across the United States. Included in the bill are existing legislative proposals to open new markets for state-inspected beef products, such as the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act, and new provisions to aid producer-owned beef processing facilities and increase transparency in fed cattle transactions. “The Tyson fire in Holcomb, KS and the supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the issues of price transparency in the cattle markets and beef processing capacity to a boiling point within our industry,” said Ethan Lane, NCBA’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “This legislation is a significant step in the right direction as we continue to explore ways to support producers who have been impacted by two major black swan events, in an already volatile cattle market. We are grateful to Rep. Johnson and all the cosponsors for their bipartisan leadership in this space, and will continue working alongside them to see these reforms enacted.” The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Mike Conaway (R-TX), Darren Soto (D-FL), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), David Rouzer (R-NC), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Jason Smith (R-MO), Tom Emmer (R-MN), and Jim Hagedorn (R-MN). A section-by-section analysis exploring all provisions of the bill can be accessed here: https://dustyjohnson. house.gov/price-act-section-section
The Haulers of Agriculture and Livestock Safety (HAULS) Act, S. 4720, would add a 150 air-mile exemption to HOS regulations to the backend of hauls for those transporting livestock or agricultural commodities. This legislation also eliminates the seasonal harvest requirements for the agriculture hours-of-service exemption, making the exemption available year round in all states. “For years livestock haulers and producers were unduly burdened with hours-of-service regulations that do not take into account the unique difficulties that these drivers face every day,” said NCBA President Marty Smith. “The COVID-19 pandemic has only further illustrated how important it is to allow these drivers to quickly and safely reach their destinations, and in turn keep grocery store shelves stocked with beef. Thank you to Senator Fischer for her continued work and recognition of the needs of our producers and haulers.”
NCBA CALLS ON USDA TO TAKE ACTION ON NAMIBIAN FMD OUTBREAK WASHINGTON (Oct. 7, 2020) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane issued the following statement in response to reports of another reported occurrence of footand-mouth disease in Namibia: “Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a grave and persistent threat to the U.S cattle industry and warrants every available caution and protection to ensure that the problems plaguing cattle production in other parts of the world do
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy. As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef. Efforts are made possible through membership contributions. To join, contact NCBA at 1-866-BEEFUSA or membership@beef.org.
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not reach our shores. NCBA has serious concerns regarding the latest report of another FMD outbreak in Namibia, a country with an unfortunate history of FMD. While Namibia has taken steps to mitigate risk of FMD through the establishment of a cordon fence and buffer zone, the occurrence of this most recent outbreak in the buffer zone and indications of delayed reporting of the outbreak to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) raises serious concerns about Namibia’s newly granted access to the United States.” “NCBA calls on USDA to investigate and reaffirm the efficacy of Namibia’s cordon fence, security of Namibia’s buffer zone and surrounding FMD protocols, and if found deficient, USDA must take immediate action to suspend imports from Namibia in order to ensure the continued safety of U.S. cattle and beef.”
NCBA RESPONDS TO CATTLE MARKET TRANSPARENCY ACT WASHINGTON (Sept. 22, 2020) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released the following statement in response the Cattle Market Transparency Act, introduced today by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.): “Price discovery is an issue of critical importance to cow/calf producers, stockers, backgrounders, and feeders across the United States, and more negotiated trade is needed throughout the cattle feeding regions to ensure sufficient price discovery. That is why all of NCBA’s 46 state affiliate organizations unanimously adopted a fed cattle price discovery policy at our 2020 Summer Business Meeting. This policy directs NCBA to pursue a voluntary approach to price discovery that includes triggers established by a working group of producer members which, if tripped due to a lack of regionally sufficient negotiated trade, would prompt NCBA to seek legislative or regulatory solutions— such as those outlined in Sen. Fischer’s bill—to achieve robust price discovery. “Since the adoption of this policy, that producer group has been diligently working to establish these triggers and identify a path to increase negotiated trade across all cattle feeding regions. We anticipate that the subgroup will meet the October 1st deadline set by the policy to establish regional triggers.
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“Sen. Fischer’s bill explores many avenues to improve transparency in the cattle markets. The creation of a cattle contracts library and clarification of confidentiality rules will provide crucial data to cattle producers as they seek to make informed marketing decisions. However, our policy dictates that the voluntary framework we are developing be allowed the opportunity to succeed or fail before we can lend our support to regional mandatory minimums for negotiated trade. We welcome a continued dialogue with Sen. Fischer and her colleagues on ways to achieve robust price discovery for all cattle producers.”
LEGISLATION TO PROTECT CALVES FROM VULTURES WASHINGTON (Oct. 1, 2020) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) today released the following statement in response to the House of Representatives passing bipartisan legislation to protect livestock from predation, compensate livestock producers who experience depredation by federally protected species, and fund methods to reduce conflicts between humans and predators. Introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.), the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act contains a number of provisions designed to address impacts that wildlife and wildlife management can have on livestock production. One such provision provides depredation payments for livestock producers who experience livestock losses caused by federally protected species, while also authorizing funding for producers to carry out non-lethal deterrence activities. These are both activities previously funded primarily by affected States, despite the federal protections for animals causing the predation. PLC and NCBA have worked with Congress and federal agencies to provide relief to States and producers through improvements to federal regulations and through compensation programs, and the ACE Act provides relief in both ways. “Livestock producers and States face
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