PROGRESS MADE ON FARM BILL

 

     Members of a Farm Bill conference committee gave tentative approval late yesterday to language generally supported by KLA and NCBA policy. Conferees voted to remove a ban on packer feeding, which would have threatened alliances and producer-owned processing facilities that have helped ranchers and feeders capture more value for cattle and better address consumer demand. KLA and NCBA have worked diligently to make sure the packer feeding ban was excluded.

     Creation of an Office of Special Counsel also was removed from the bill. Authority granted to the special counsel would have duplicated existing authority of USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Administration. KLA and NCBA opposed this additional layer of government regulation.

     The tentative Farm Bill agreement does include language reducing the burden mandatory country-of-origin labeling will have on ranchers, feeders and others in the meat industry. KLA and NCBA fought to make the recordkeeping aspect of the new program more flexible for producers.

     U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts and Rep. Jerry Moran, both conference committee members, have been strong supporters of beef industry priorities throughout the Farm Bill debate.

     Once the conference committee completes work on the bill, it will be subject to an up or down vote, with no amendments, by the full House and Senate. It is uncertain if President Bush will sign the bill.