RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT ANNUAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 7, 2007

CHECKOFF RESOLUTIONS

Resolution #1:

WHEREAS USCA believes a producer-driven, beef promotion program is vital to the future of the cattle industry; and

WHEREAS this program must be focused on promoting the products of the stakeholders, not just those of the beef-production sector; and

WHEREAS the majority of dollars collected by the Beef Checkoff come directly from U.S. cattle producers; and

WHEREAS the recent 8000 producer survey conducted by the USDA showed strong support for changes to the program;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED USCA finds the following to be vital and necessary amendments to the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985:

1.       Sec. 2904, paragraph (6) be modified to eliminate the requirement that the Operating Committee contract only with "established, national nonprofit industry-governed organizations."   This would allow the Committee to contract directly with vendors and avoid possible conflicts of interest generated by the policy positions of any national organization.

2.       Provide for a referendum every five years.

3.       Direct that Beef Checkoff dollars collected from U. S. cattle producers, be used to promote products derived from cattle that are specifically born, raised and processed in the United States.

4.       Remove the requirement that contracting organizations must have been in existence prior to the implementation of the current Act and Order.

Resolution #2:

WHEREAS USCA seeks to provide the motivation, information and support necessary to our members so they can become more involved in influencing decisions regarding the Beef Checkoff;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED USCA recommends the following:

1.    All USCA affiliate organizations seek approval as qualified organizations or associations in their respective states, nominate from within their membership and actively promote those nominees for appointments to the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB).

2.         Those affiliate organizations also work diligently to obtain seats on their respective state beef councils by providing candidates for appointment or election.

Resolution #3:

WHEREAS USCA feels that the present National Beef Checkoff mechanism has created a framework that is far too complicated and excludes a large portion of U. S. beef producers; and

WHEREAS two segments - the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) and the Federation of State Beef Councils (Federation) - are mandated by the Beef Promotion Act and Order, and the third segment - the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) - is a policy-driven organization that also is the main contractor for the Beef Checkoff;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED USCA recommends that the NCBA, the CBB and the Federation each become individually independent and autonomous in order to alleviate the impression that they are operating as one entity.

Resolution #4:

WHEREAS certain entities within the beef industry are proposing an increase in the per head assessment on cattle sold; and

WHEREAS USCA policies outline a number of other needed producer-driven changes to the Beef Checkoff Act and Order including, but not limited to, promoting U.S. labeled beef, periodic referendums, and major changes to the organization and structural relationships between the Cattlemen's Beef Board, Federation of State Beef Councils, and their contractors, including the National Cattlemen's Beef Association;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED USCA supports the current One Dollar per head assessment and will not support any increase until our policy recommendations have been implemented.

ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION RESOLUTIONS

Resolution #5:

BE IT RESOLVED USCA requests that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conduct a cost-benefit analysis of its proposed national animal identification system (NAIS).

Resolution #6:

BE IT RESOLVED USCA opposes making premises registration or animal identification mandatory for 4-H and FFA, which are USDA driven programs.

Resolution #7:

BE IT RESOLVED USCA does not support national mandatory identification and continues to support continued use of existing programs such as states with effective brand inspections, health certificates, brucellosis tags, tuberculosis tags, etc. for any animal health trace back programs.

ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE RESOLUTIONS

Resolution #8 :

WHEREAS brucellosis is endemic to Yellowstone Park bison and elk herds; and

WHEREAS bison numbers within the park exceed forage production causing over-grazing and migration of infected bison and elk from park boundaries; and

WHEREAS cattle producers have eradicated brucellosis from their cow herds but are exposed to risk of infection from wild game;

BE IT RESOLVED USCA calls upon the Department of the Interior and USDA to reduce bison and elk numbers consistent with forage availability within park boundaries and to undertake an aggressive long-term brucellosis eradication program; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED USCA urges the Department of the Interior and USDA to invest in more research to find an effective preventative vaccine for bison and cattle; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Department of the Interior and USDA indemnify cattle producers for losses suffered as a result of herds being infected by wild game, i.e., elk, bison, and moose.

Resolution #9:

BE IT RESOLVED USCA opposes any efforts to restrict horse slaughter and/or transportation of horses.

COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELING RESOLUTIONS

Resolution #10:

WHEREAS the amount of food and commodities the United States imports are increasing from sources other than the United States; and

WHEREAS United States citizens have the right to know where their beef and other food comes from;

BE IT RESOLVED that United States Cattlemen's Association supports Country-of-Origin Labeling information to the final consumer; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that United States Cattlemen's Association supports mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling language as passed in the 2002 Farm Bill and the compromise language in the 2007 House of Representatives Farm Bill and the Senate Agriculture Committee's Farm Bill language.

MARKETING RESOLUTIONS

Resolution #11:

•  WHEREAS competitive markets require participants with access to open and transparent market information;

BE IT RESOLVED that USCA supports the immediate implementation of mandatory price reporting.

•  WHEREAS large firms may exhibit pressure on producers to accept unfair production contracts or terms of sale;

BE IT RESOLVED that USCA supports the inclusion of a "competition chapter" in the 2007 Farm Bill.

•  WHEREAS recent rulings have negated the intent of the Packers and Stockyards act;

BE IT RESOLVED that USCA supports legislative clarification of the P&S Act.

BE IT RESOLVED that USCA supports legislative clarification of the P&S Act.

•  The Act differs from other antitrust law.   Proof or intent to control or manipulate prices is not required; rather it is that outcome that must be prevented.

•  "Business justification" is not a valid defense of actions covered in the Act.

•  "Captive supplies" negatively affect prices and must be controlled.   Captive supplies include any livestock owned, committed to or otherwise under the control of the packer before fourteen days of slaughter, including non-negotiated transactions and imported cattle and beef.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that USCA supports the ban of packer ownership or control of cattle for more than 14 days before slaughter, except for those packers with processing capacity less than 500 head per day; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that USCA supports legislation requiring at least 75% of the weekly cattle procurement for packers with processing capacity over 500 per day, be obtained through negotiated sales; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that USCA supports legislation requiring all contractual and marketing agreements with producers be offered in ways open to all qualified producers and subject to negotiation.

Resolution #12:

BE IT RESOLVED USCA supports legislation to accomplish interstate sales of state inspected meat.

Resolution #13:

BE IT RESOLVED USCA supports:

An act creating a USA-certified natural beef cattle marketing program to be administered by the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; providing qualifications for the certification of USA natural beef cattle and USA-certified natural grass-fed beef cattle; and providing an immediate effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 1. USA-certified natural beef cattle marketing program.

•  The Department of Agriculture shall administer a program to qualify and market beef cattle born, raised and processed in the United States that have been certified as natural.

•  To qualify as USA-certified natural beef cattle, the beef must be from cattle that have been born, raised, and processed in the USA and finished following naturally raised protocols. The beef cattle must be:

•  Raised in an environmentally prudent manner that is consistent with the best grazing standards;

•  Raised pursuant to beef quality assurance standards or similar guidelines;

•  Raised without subtherapeutic antibiotics, synthetic hormones, synthetic growth promotants, and ionophores; and

•  Fed only natural feeds that contain no drugs, chemicals, or animal byproducts.

•  To qualify as USA-certified natural grass-fed beef cattle, the beef must be from cattle that must meet the requirements of subsection (2) and must also have been finished on grass.

•  A producer who desires natural beef cattle certification shall maintain records of the birth of the beef cattle by month and keep health records for the beef cattle, including vaccine lot numbers, the vaccine manufacturer, and dates of vaccination.

•  To ensure compliance, the Department of Agriculture shall adopt rules requiring at least one inspection of the ranch of origin of the beef cattle as well as development of the necessary protocols for recordkeeping and verification for the certification of natural and natural grass-fed beef cattle.

•  The USDA shall include the promotion of USA-certified natural beef cattle in its agricultural product marketing programs.

TRADE RESOLUTIONS

Resolution #14:

WHEREAS the long-term profitability of independent U.S. cattle producers is impacted significantly by international trade policy; and

WHEREAS the Trade Act of 2002 outlines specific items to be included in all trade agreements;

BE IT RESOLVED USCA requires that the following provisions be included in all trade agreements:

Resolution #15:

WHEREAS the health of the U.S. cattle herd is vital to the profitability of independent cattle producers; and

WHEREAS the US policy was built on protecting US producers of food and fiber, and not managing a disease once it gets here; 

BE IT RESOLVED USCA opposes efforts by the government of the United States to allow regionalization of foreign countries with animal disease problems if such regionalization weakens animal health or food safety standards concerning importation of cattle or beef into the United States. 

Resolution #16:

WHEREAS International Trade Agreements have a significant impact on independent cattle producers;

BE IT RESOLVED USCA opposes fast-track trade negotiation authority and believes that international trade policy and trade agreements related to that policy should reside in the hands of the U.S. Congress.

Resolution #17:

WHEREAS cattle and beef are imported into the United States from various foreign countries, and that many of these countries have histories of foreign animal disease problems;

BE IT RESOLVED USCA supports the following efforts to identify imported cattle and beef:

•  Removal of livestock from the U.S. Department of Treasury's J-List thereby requiring all imported cattle to be marked with a mark of origin as a condition of entry into the United States,

•  Restrict the use of the USDA grade stamp to only beef that is born, raised and processed in the United States,