2009 Priority Issues

USCA supports the passage of the Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention Act (H.R. 1226 and S 337)

•  This bill prohibits increased meat imports from Argentina until the Secretary certifies to Congress that every region of Argentina is free of foot and mouth disease without vaccination.

USCA supports the Beef Checkoff Modernization Act (S. 1062)

•  This bill amends the Beef Research and Promotion Act to allow the promotion of beef born and raised exclusively in the United States and establishes new referendum requirements.

USCA supports USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for his decision to implement the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law on March 16th with the caveat that he expects meat packers to voluntarily comply with the intent of Congress in writing the law.   USCA asks for the support from Congress and the Obama Administration in defending the COOL law at the WTO level.

USCA supports increased funding to upgrade the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

•  USCA is opposed to the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas.  The risks associated with locating the laboratory in the heartland of America's agriculture industry are too great.  USCA encourages Congress to NOT allocate any funds that will allow the planning or construction of a new facility; instead, USCA supports increasing funds to upgrade the current research laboratory on Plum Island.   

USCA opposes H.R. 503/ S. 727 - Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009.  Legislation prohibiting transportation of horses to foreign countries where horses may end up in the food supply has decimated markets for all horses and resulted in horses being abandoned and released on private property and public lands.

USCA supports strengthening antitrust laws and ensuring fair market competition.  Congress needs to increase market transparency by addressing captive supply contracts, mandatory price reporting, and packer ownership of cattle.

USCA does not support a national mandatory animal identification system, but supports standardizing existing programs such as brand inspections, health certificates, brucellosis tags, tuberculosis tags, etc. for disease mitigation and animal health trace back programs. USCA urges the Department of Agriculture to take a proactive approach to disease prevention by strengthening import standards rather than its current reactive approach of disease control after an outbreak occurs in the U.S.

USCA opposes the H.R. 1549/S. 619 - the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). This bill removes valuable and proven medicines that ranchers rely on to keep herds healthy.  

USCA opposes S. 787 - the Clean Water Restoration Act.   This bill will likely result in a change in statute for producers that will considerably increase exposure to regulatory pressure with little corresponding resource or social benefit.

Established in March 2007, USCA is committed to concentrating its efforts in Washington, DC to enhance and expand the cattle industry’s voice on Capitol Hill. USCA has a full-time presence in Washington, giving cattle producers across the country a strong influence on policy development. For more information go to www.uscattlemen.org.