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Environmental Management Practices Standards Up For review
Obama To Push Deal To Finalize Korea Trade Pact
Where’s Science Behind FDA Antibiotics ‘Guidance’?
Environmental Management Practices Standards Up For Review
Washington, D.C., June 30, 2010 -The National Pork Producers Council today announced a public review of five American National Standards (ANS) that address the environmental management of concentrated livestock operations. NPPC serves as the secretariat of the American National Standards for Good Environmental Livestock Production Practices (GELPP).
In 2001, a panel representing livestock and poultry producers, users and general interests approved the content of the five GELPP standards, which are based on industry accepted best management practices. Sources for those practices were on-farm environmental assessments, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service publications and university resources.
The standards have been used as a benchmark against which to compare on-farm environmental management activities and serve as a source of information to the industry and the public. They are intended to enhance decision-making regarding sound environmental livestock production practices.
The five standards are:
User groups for the current review of the GELPP standards include producers involved with livestock and poultry production on a day-to-day basis; users, i.e. academia, engineers, scientists, researchers, government regulators, agencies; general interests, i.e. food industry representatives, packers, processors, retailers; agriculture associations and interests, i.e. livestock and producer associations, general farm organizations; and environmental interests, i.e. individuals or representatives of groups having special interest in or knowledge of protection of natural resources.
There is an open seat on each of the user groups. An application to fill a seat and information on participation in the standards review process by all directly and materially affected people are available at http://validusservices.com/gelpp.
Obama To Push Deal To Finalize Korea Trade Pact
Washington, D.C., June 28, 2010 - President Obama has signaled his intention to set a deadline for removing outstanding obstacles to the implementation of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to gain congressional approval of the deal in 2011.
The FTA would be one of the most lucrative ever for the U.S. pork industry, according to the National Pork Producers Council, which has championed the pact for three years now.
At the G-20 summit in Toronto this past weekend, the president indicated he wants the deal done by the next G 20 meeting, which will be held in Seoul, South Korea, in November. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will be tasked with working with his Korean counterpart to bring about. The U.S.-Korea FTA was completed and signed on June 30, 2007, but it has been awaiting action by Congress on the necessary implementing legislation.
That legislation has been held up by demands from some lawmakers that improvements be made to the agreement in certain sectors, including automobiles.“Having a firm deadline for resolving the outstanding issues is a major step forward and is wonderful news for American pork producers,” said NPPC President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa.
“This is what we have been hoping to hear for almost three years,” he added. “The export opportunities the FTA offers U.S. producers of pork and many other agricultural products in the Korean market are truly remarkable.”
According to Iowa State economist Dermot Hayes, by the end of the FTA phase-in period, total U.S. pork exports to Korea will be almost 600,000 metric tons. This represents nearly twice the current U.S. export level to Japan – currently the top value market for the U.S pork industry.
The FTA will lift live hog prices by a staggering $10 per animal when fully implemented and will generate an additional $825 million in U.S. pork exports. Korea alone will absorb 5 percent of total U.S. pork production, and the FTA will create more than 11,000 new jobs because of increased pork exports alone.
“Given the difficulties our industry has faced over the past two years because of the economy, H1N1, higher costs of production and unjustified foreign trade barriers, the prospect of a firm date for implementation of the Korea FTA would be great news for U.S. pork producer,” Carney said.
“It would also help many other American farmers who depend on export markets for a major share of their income and who have been growing fearful that agreements between Korea and some of our competitors could leave us worse off than we are now,” Carney added.
Korea has in place or is currently negotiating 13 other trade agreements, covering some 50 countries, many of which are competitors in food and agricultural products.The Korean market is now the fifth largest for U.S. agricultural exports, valued at $3.9 billion in 2009. According to economic analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Korea FTA would expand those exports in a wide range of commodities and result in $1.8 billion in additional sales – a 46 percent increase.
Commodities that will gain immediate duty-free access to the Korean market upon implementation include wheat, feed corn, soybeans for crushing, hides and skins, cotton and a broad range of high-value agricultural products. These include almonds, pistachios, wine, bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, raisins, grape juice, orange juice, fresh cherries, frozen French fries, frozen orange juice concentrate, corn gluten feed and meal and pet food.
A number of commodities will gain free access two years after implementation, including avocados, lemons, dried prunes and sunflower seeds, or five years, including food preparations, chocolate and chocolate confectionary, sweet corn, sauces and preparations, corn sweeteners, corn oil, other fodder and forage (alfalfa), breads and pastry, grapefruit and dried mushrooms. Other U.S. farm products will benefit from expanded market access opportunities through new or expanded tariff rate quotas. These include skim and whole milk powder, whey for food use, cheese, starches – including high-value modified corn starches – barley, popcorn, and soybeans for food use. Market access improvements will also be seen for beef products, pears, apples, grapes and oranges.
The U.S.-Korea FTA is one of three that are pending approval by Congress. Agreements with Colombia and Panama also have been awaiting action for more than three years. NPPC has been calling for action on all three FTAs for years, pointing out the enormous risk of letting other countries move forward first.
Where’s Science Behind FDA Antibiotics ‘Guidance’?
Washington, D.C., June 28, 2010 - “Guidance” on the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry production issued today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could lead to the elimination or costly review of previously approved animal health products. The National Pork Producers Council said there appears to be no science on which FDA based the guidance.
The FDA guidance calls for antibiotics that are “medically important” to humans to be used in animals only when necessary to assure their health. It also says those antibiotics should be administered with veterinary oversight or “consultation.” FDA said the guidance would be used to develop public policy on animal antibiotic use.
“This guidance could eliminate certain antibiotics that are extremely important to the health of animals,” said NPPC President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa. “FDA didn’t present any science on which to base this, yet it could have a tremendous negative impact on animal health and, ultimately, the safety of food. As we know, healthy animals produce safe food, and we need every available tool to protect animal health.”
Antibiotics that currently are not labeled for preventing, treating or controlling diseases could continue to be used if after undergoing a second rigorous FDA approval process one of those label claims is proved. The process typically takes seven to 10 years and can cost antibiotics manufacturers millions of dollars.
On FDA’s call for animal antibiotics to be used under the “oversight” of, or in “consultation” with, a veterinarian, NPPC – which supports veterinary supervision – is concerned with the possible direction of the guidance. NPPC pointed out that a requirement that all antibiotics be accompanied by feed directives, for example, could be problematic given the country’s severe shortage of large animal veterinarians.
“Producers work with their veterinarians to develop animal health plans that include the judicious use of antibiotics,” Carney said. “The industry also has programs, including the FDA-reviewed Pork Quality Assurance Plus program, that educate producers about the responsible use of antibiotics.”
The guidance, which does not have the force of law but may be treated as such by FDA, is a move to address an increase in antibiotic-resistant illnesses in humans, which opponents of modern animal agriculture blame on the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry production. But top scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health recently told a U.S. House committee that there is no scientific study linking antibiotic use in food animal production with antibiotic resistance.
Canada Approves Free Trade Deal With
Colombia, U.S. Pork Producers Lose Out
Washington, D.C., June 24, 2010 - The Canadian Senate late Monday gave final approval to a free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia, ensuring that exports of Canadian pork products and many other food and agricultural commodities will have immediate market-access advantage over U.S. products in the Colombian market.
The United States and Colombia signed a free trade agreement Nov. 22, 2006 – now more than three and a half years ago. The Colombian Senate in 2007 voted to approve the agreement by a margin of 55-3 and the House by a margin of 85-10. The U.S. Congress has not yet begun debate on the implementing legislation.
According to Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes, the U.S.-Colombia FTA, when fully implemented, would raise Live U.S. hog prices $1.15 above what would otherwise be the case. With Canada’s action and with the failure of the U.S. government to implement the U.S.-Colombia FTA, trade benefits now will shift to Canadian pork producers. Hayes says that if the U.S. does not implement its FTA with Colombia, the U.S. will be completely out of the Colombian pork market within 10 years because of Canada’s FTA tariff advantage.
“It is unfortunate that our producers have to pay the price for U.S. inaction on trade,” said Sam Carney, president of the National Pork Producers Council and a pork producer from Adair, Iowa. “Canada will gain the inside track on future export opportunities in the sizeable and growing Colombian market."
“The sad truth is that the hardest market to gain access to is the one that is lost to competitors. Business relationships between Canada and Colombia will become established, and when that happens, our only hope will be if we can offer a more competitively priced product,” Carney said. “But that will be virtually impossible if Colombian tariffs on Canadian products remain lower than on ours for years to come.”
The U.S.-Colombia FTA is one of three that are pending approval by Congress. Agreements with South Korea and Panama also have been awaiting action for more than three years. Panama also recently finalized an FTA with Canada, and South Korea is nearing completion on a deal with the European Union, so those markets are also in jeopardy of being lost to competitors. The U.S. FTA with South Korea alone would add $10 to the price of each U.S. hog sold, according to an analysis by Iowa State’s Hayes.
NPPC has been calling for action on all three FTAs for years, pointing out the enormous risk of letting other countries move forward first. Now that the risk is becoming reality, it is critical that the U.S. act quickly to at least keep its exports on a level playing field.
GIPSA Rule May Limit Pork Producer Market Options
Washington, D.C., June 18, 2010 - A long awaited proposed rule announced today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture may limit pork producers’ options in selling pigs to processors, according to the National Pork Producers Council, which is carefully reviewing the proposed changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act contained in the 2008 Farm Bill.
Among numerous changes to the law, the proposed rule, which will be published June 22, would redefine what constitute an “undue or unreasonable preference or advantage” in a livestock contract.
“NPPC is carefully reviewing the proposal because we don’t want to see producer marketing options limited by overly broad government regulations that negatively impact pork producers’ bottom line,” said NPPC President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa.
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration will consider comments on the proposed rule until August 23, 2010.
Redalen Promoted To Director Of Government Relations
Washington, D.C., June 17, 2010 - The National Pork Producers Council has promoted Chelsie Redalen to director of government relations in its Washington, D.C., public-policy office. Redalen had been deputy director of government relations.
“Chelsie has been a tremendous asset to our policy team and to America’s pork producers,” said Audrey Adamson, NPPC vice president of domestic policy issues and head of the D.C. office. “She has been a tireless advocate on Capitol Hill for the U.S. pork industry, and this promotion is well-deserved.”
Redalen will continue to work with Chris Wall, NPPC assistant vice president of government relations, as the organization’s top lobbyists. She will focus on competitive market and science and technology issues, including food safety, antibiotics and animal health matters.
Prior to joining NPPC as government relations associate in 2006, Redalen was a consultant for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and worked on the staff of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn.
During her nearly four years with the organization, Redalen has helped build NPPC’s grassroots programs and grow its political action committee – PorkPAC – overseeing almost a doubling in contributions.
Redalen, who grew up on a farm in Fountain, Minn., is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in applied economics.
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