Lawmakers are back in D.C. with four weeks until the Memorial Day deadline set by House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., for moving a new farm bill. Republicans and Democrats remain at an impasse about key details of the bill, most notably on cuts to nutrition spending.
Agri-Pulse has obtained a summary of a counteroffer made by committee Democrats that includes a proposal to use USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation authority to help fund some farm bill programs. There are no specifics of how that could be done. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has suggested Congress could specifically direct USDA to use the CCC to augment certain programs, including Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, the two main income support programs for row crops.
Democrats want to steer some CCC funding into the nutrition title, as well as to commodity programs and crop insurance.
On other issues, Democrats insisted that the Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding be limited to climate-related practices, and they also doubled down on their opposition to any cuts in nutrition funding.
For more on the Democrats’ counteroffer, including some statements from committee members, read our report at Agri-Pulse.com.
By the way: House Ag GOP members held a series of briefings for commodity, conservation and nutrition groups over the course of three days last week, according to sources.
Attendees learned, among other things, that Republicans want to steer some of the IRA funding into the Conservation Reserve Program, according to one person who attended.
The committee markup is expected to take place the week of May 20.
For more on the upcoming week in D.C., read our Washington Week Ahead.
FDA finalizes stakeholder guidance for Veterinary Feed Directive rule
The Food and Drug Administration has finalized a set of questions and answers to help stakeholders navigate the 2015 Veterinary Feed Directive final rule.
The VFD rule outlines the process for authorizing approved drugs in the feed of food-producing animals that require veterinary oversight. This includes antimicrobials when used for animal health purposes.
Since the final VFD rule went into effect, 95% of inspected stakeholders have been in compliance with the rule, according to FDA VFD inspection data. The latest guidance is intended to increase understanding and compliance among veterinarians, VFD feed distributors and clients.
In comments on the 2019 draft, stakeholders asked FDA to clarify and amend language on the amount of VFD drug in feed, the issuance and effective dates of VFDs, definitions and requirements for VFD distributors and the expiration of medicated feeds, according to a Federal Register notice published today.
Changes in the final version address these concerns and clarify flexibilities in the rule to lessen the burden on stakeholders, FDA said. It also includes more hypothetical scenarios to help industry understand its responsibilities.
“We are reviewing the FDA’s 49-page guidance, but remain confident that the animal food industry’s work over the past several years to come into compliance with the final VFD rule only reaffirms the industry’s commitment to public and animal health,” said Leah Wilkinson, American Feed Industry Association’s vice president of public policy and education, in an email.
Progress made on ship passage in Baltimore
One hundred and seventy one commercial vessels have been able to successfully enter or exit the port of Baltimore since crews cleaning up after a Baltimore bridge collapse managed to open four alternate channels.
Federal and state agencies are working to open a "limited access deep channel" at least 35 feet deep to give "commercially essential traffic" another route into the harbor, according to an announcement.
Cleanup crews have so far removed over 3,000 tons of debris using a fleet of 36 barges, 27 tugboats, 22 floating cranes, 10 excavators, one dredger, one skimmer and three Coast Guard cutters, an announcement said.
Take note: The agencies warned that beginning today, transport through some channels would be suspended while workers attempt to remove the ship that collided with the bridge from its current position in the water.
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Milk producers laud government effort on bird flu
The National Milk Producers Federation is defending the federal government’s response to the discovery of bird fu in dairy cows, amid criticism that USDA in particular has been slow to share information about the situation.
“The crossover of this H5N1 virus from birds to dairy cattle has presented some extraordinary challenges to animal and human health regulators in Washington,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud says in a statement released today.
“Throughout my regular contact with Secretary Vilsack, Undersecretary Moffitt, and officials from FDA and other agencies in recent weeks, I have seen how leadership at USDA, FDA and other federal agencies is well-equipped to get us through this challenge,” Doud said.
“We appreciate the around-the-clock efforts that federal and local authorities and experts, from USDA and other agencies to state officials and local veterinarians, have been making to get a new system up and running these past few days, and we are grateful for their dedication and commitment,” Doud said.
The statement came as new rules go into effect today requiring tests of any lactating dairy cows scheduled to move interstate. USDA clarified Friday that the federal order “does not apply to the intrastate movement of a lactating dairy cow to a sale barn. Subsequent interstate movement for a lactating dairy cow from a sale barn directly to a slaughter facility requires only a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) stating that the animal is clinically healthy; no testing is necessary.”
In addition: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released recommendations on personal protective equipment (PPE) practices that dairy and poultry workers, especially, should be following.
In other developments, Colorado became the ninth state to report the H5N1 virus had been found in a dairy herd.
Watch our most recent Newsmakers show for more insights from USDA’s Jenny Lester Moffitt, Michael Dykes with the International Dairy Foods Association and Fred Gingrich with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.
Outdoor rec projects should be eligible for grants, loans from USDA, senators say
Outdoor recreation projects should be eligible for funding through the Agriculture Department’s Community Facilities Program, three senators have told USDA.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack in a letter that the federal government “has an opportunity to support rural areas as they make their communities more accessible and attractive to live, work, and spend their time.”
“From bike trails in Fruita, Colorado, to paddling and boating in Lake Placid, New York, and hiking on the Buckeye Trail in Ohio, allowing outdoor recreation as an eligible activity under Community Facilities could provide a significant opportunity for small towns to strengthen and diversify their economies with investments that have a proven track record of success,” they said.
The CFP “provides loans and grants to ensure rural communities enjoy the same quality of life and services as urban areas,” the senators said in a news release.
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