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The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new air pollution study that will attempt to quantify the current level of emissions from poultry, swine and dairy operations.
A second major undertaking of the project will be setting appropriate emissions limits for the various types of operations.
Operations that qualify as Animal Feeding Operations under the Clean Water Act are eligible to enroll in the study. Operations with open-air feedlots are not eligible to enroll. Participating operations will gain protection from lawsuits related to air pollution, at least for a limited time.
EPA worked with livestock industry representatives and other stakeholders for several years to negotiate the terms of the study. It should surprise few in the ag industry that environmental activist groups, including the Sierra Club, are critical of the study.
Sanctions lifted on U.S. products
Member states of the European Union recently announced suspension of $4 billion of sanctions against the United States. The EU will lift the sanctions retroactive to Jan. 1.
The EU first imposed the sanctions in March 2004, after the World Trade Organization ruled the United States' extraterritorial income tax laws violated international trade agreements. The signing of the JOBS Act into law in October 2004 repealed the tax laws that the WTO ruled illegal. However, the EU made no move to lift the sanctions until recently.
The American Farm Bureau Federation worked to secure passage of the JOBS Act into law and urged the EU to live up to its stated promise to end the sanctions immediately.
Almost 189,000 cattle have been tested for BSE to date, according to USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
None of the cattle tested have shown positive results. Three inconclusive tests found in 2004 were later determined to be negative.
For more information visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse.html
Libel suit success!
Jim Chilton, a fifth generation Arizona rancher, was awarded $600,000 after winning a case against the Center for Biological Diversity.
Chilton brought the case against the environmental group after he said the center made false statements about his operation in a news advisory and posted misleading photographs on a Web site.
The jury found the center guilty of making false, unfair, libelous and defamatory statements, and awarded Chilton $100,000 in actual damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.
Notable Quotables
"Farm Bureau congratulates Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns on his unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. These are crucial times for America's farmers and ranchers, and we look forward to working with Secretary Johanns as he endeavors to carry out farm, food and conservation programs to benefit all Americans.
"We will work with Secretary Johanns in his support of enhanced roles for American-grown renewable fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol. As trade negotiations affecting our farm goods continue, we offer our counsel and strong support as he seeks to open markets for our farm products. We believe Secretary Johanns will be a strong voice who understands and supports our fellow Americans who work with the land to provide food, fiber and fuel for our nation.
"Farm Bureau will provide Secretary Johanns our organization's full support as he strives to successfully and fully carry out the commitments of our current farm program. And, as the opportunity arises, we will work with him to hammer out the details for the 2007 farm bill. We wish him well in his new role, as we wish his predecessor Ann Veneman success in her new position as executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund."
—Statement by Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation president, on the confirmation of Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns by the U.S. Senate.
