Agricultural News
House Move to Include Food Safety Bill in Continuing Resolution Angers Cattle Industry Group
Thu, 09 Dec 2010 6:22:42 CSTThe National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) today, Dec. 8, 2010, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) opposing the trillion dollar Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through September 2011. NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts said the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act should be considered only as a standalone bill.
"NCBA opposes the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act because food safety knows no size. We are disappointed House leadership included it in the CR without allowing an up or down vote on a bill as "robust and sweeping" as the food safety bill," Butts said. "The CR is not the appropriate means to consider the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. NCBA strongly opposes the CR in its current form."
Specifically, NCBA is opposed to language offered by Senators John Tester (D-Mont.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) exempting small food producers and processors from the legislation included in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Butts said food safety knows no size and federal food safety policy should be based on sound science and applied to all food producers and processors regardless of size or proximity to the market. NCBA opposed the food safety legislation in the Senate and joined 16 organizations representing food producers and processers opposing the Tester/Hagan language in the House.
According to NCBA's letter opposing the CR, "Food safety is too important to everyone involved in the production and consumption of food to be dealt with in this manner."
"Rather than continuing down the path of funding our government and federal programs through the CR and omnibus bills, Congress should make it a priority to go through a more methodical, transparent and timely appropriations process," Butts said. "NCBA understands the critical importance of funding our government and federal programs as well as the importance of food safety. However, we believe these issues deserve the due diligence of Congress. We urge House members to simply provide a short-term extension to the expiring CR."
Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas put special emphasis on the NCBA call against this measure- sending a copy of the letter with a note from him to his colleagues on Wednesday. The full text of the letter follows:
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Boehner,
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is the nation's oldest and largest trade association for cattle producers and represents more than 147,000 cattle producers through direct membership and our state and breed affiliates. Cattle producers' top priority is to produce the safest and highest quality beef in the world. Since 1993, cattle producers have invested more than $29 million in beef safety research and the industry as a whole spends approximately $350 million every year on beef safety.
NCBA continues to express our membership's concerns and opposition with the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act." Additionally, we are extremely disappointed that Congress has included the food safety bill as part of the Continuing Resolution (CR). Advocates for the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act" state that it is the most robust and sweeping reform in 70 years to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As such, the bill needs to go through regular order and be voted on as a standalone bill.
Knowing that time is limited, we encourage Congress to address the funding needs of federal programs. However, we strongly oppose the CR in its current form with the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act" included. The CR is not the appropriate means to consider legislation, especially a bill as robust and sweeping as the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act." Food safety is too important to everyone involved in the production and consumption of food to be dealt with in this manner.
The yearly funding of our government and federal programs needs to be a more methodical, timely and transparent priority for Congress. Continuing down the path of funding federal programs through the CR and omnibus bills is a disservice to American taxpayers, businesses and governments.
Sincerely,
Steve Foglesong
President
cc: House Committee on Agriculture
cc: House Committee on Appropriations
cc: House Energy and Commerce Committee
cc: House Rules Committee
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