WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) says the Senate’s draft Farm Bill includes many of the core programs cattle producers rely on, but falls short by avoiding several of agriculture’s most contentious issues.
NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Sigrid Johannes says the proposal strengthens risk management, conservation, and animal health programs, but omits language addressing California’s Proposition 12 and permanent year-round E15 sales.
Johannes says lawmakers appeared to avoid controversial provisions to build broader support for the legislation.
“I think the fundamentals in there are great. There’s a lot in there that, again, just hits the basics on some of those risk management, conservation programs, animal health, the basics that we in the cattle sector look to a Farm Bill process for,” Johnnes explains. “They didn’t take a whole lot of risks, though, with that draft. They took a pass on all of the things that could be controversial. They didn’t weigh in on Prop 12. For what it’s worth on the crop side, they also didn’t touch on year-round E15 access. They really were pretty scrupulous to avoid anything that might be thorny or difficult.”
The Senate Farm Bill must still advance through the committee before it can move to the Senate floor. Likewise, the separate bill to make E15 year-round a reality still rests with the Senate.
But the Farm Bill is far from the only area NCBA is closely watching right now.
Johannes tells us that the New World screwworm is still a very real threat to the industry, but they believe USDA is handling the situation as best they can.
As New World screwworm cases continue to be confirmed in the United States, NCBA says federal and state officials have responded quickly to help protect the livestock industry.
Johannes says USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission have effectively implemented response plans that were developed over the past two years. Those efforts include movement restrictions, livestock inspections, and the provision of treatment resources to producers in affected areas.
“There are a lot of things that have gone well. You’ve seen the Texas Animal Health Commission and USDA leap into their response plan. These are measures that were put in place and hashed out over the last 18 months to two years. Nobody was caught flat-footed here by any means. And I think so far, those plans, the implementation of those movement restrictions, the inspection process for moving cattle out of those infested zones, and getting drugs to folks on the ground to treat animals that might be infected have all run very smoothly. And I think that’s a huge positive.”
According to the USDA, there are now 33 confirmed screwworm cases in the U.S., with 19 active cases, nearly all in Texas. The cattle industry continues to monitor the situation closely, with biosecurity and surveillance efforts remaining a top priority.
