Animal Agriculture: Issues in the 107th Congress
Publication Date: January 2003
Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Author(s):
Research Area: Agriculture, forestry and fishing
Type:
Abstract:
A variety of animal agriculture issues, including prices, the impact of consolidation in the meat production/packing industry, trade, and the environmental impacts of large feedlots, generated interest in the 107th Congress.
The farm bill (P.L. 107-171; H.R. 2646), signed by the President on May 13, 2002, contains several provisions affecting animal agriculture, including protections for contract growers, disaster assistance, country-of-origin labeling, and increased funding for conservation purposes.
USDA announced on September 19, 2002, that it would provide $752 million from Section 32 funds for a new 2002 Livestock Compensation Program. In early December, total funding was increased to $937 million. The program is designed to compensate livestock producers experiencing severe 2001 and 2002 feed and pasture losses.
Checkoff programs, which fund market-enhancing activities, continued to face legal challenges, with the beef and pork checkoff programs the subject of court cases. The pork checkoff program was reinstated on February 28, 2001, in an agreement reached between USDA and the National Pork Producer’s Council. Former Secretary Glickman had ordered the checkoff canceled after it was voted down in a disputed producer referendum.
Concerns about the impact of consolidation in the livestock industry and the agricultural sector overall, spurred legislative interest. In the farm bill, a contentious provision banning packer ownership of livestock was dropped in conference, but the issue may resurface in future legislative proposals.
The FY2001 USDA appropriations law (P.L. 106-387) contained a mandatory price reporting provision that requires large meat packers to report prices they pay for cattle and hogs, among other provisions. The provision was implemented on April 2, 2001, but problems arose with reporting of prices. USDA has implemented changes to fix those problems and increased the frequency of reporting.
On August 23, 2002, USDA announced Russia lifted a ban on U.S. poultry imports that had been in place since March 10, 2002. The ban stemmed from Russian concerns over antibiotics in feed and the use of chlorinated water during processing. Disputes continued with the European Union over its barriers to U.S. meat and poultry imports despite a WTO ruling that these barriers violate the WTO agreement.
On December 16, 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new permitting controls that would apply to concentrated animal feeding operations. The proposal includes the objectives of preventing discharges from manure-storage lagoons, and limiting the spreading of manure to protect waterways.
Outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and findings of mad cow disease in Europe deepened concerns about the United States’ ability to prevent these diseases or eradicate them should an outbreak occur.