National Legislative Issues of Interest

October 25, 2006 — NPPC Staff

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are currently in recess until after the November elections. This means that your elected representatives are back home campaigning in their local districts. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with them to discuss issues of importance to you, your profession and the swine industry. The AVMA and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) are actively engaged in a number of legislative issues of concern to veterinarians and swine producers. Following is a short synopsis of those issues and the AVMA or NPPC position.

AVMA Issues:

1. National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA)
   Background:
   • Will allow development of the federal veterinary loan repayment program.
   • Designed to address the shortage of veterinarians in certain geographic and practice areas, such as rural food supply veterinarians, through an educational loan repayment program similar to one available to medical doctors.
   • Although signed into law in 2003, the Act has never been adequately funded. In 2006, Congress provided $500,000 which will fund USDA's efforts to write the program's regulations.
   • AVMA is urging Congress to adequately fund this legislation.
2. The Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act (H.R. 2206/S. 914)
   Background:
   • To address the critical shortage of veterinarians in public practice.
   • Conservative estimates identify a current shortage of 1500 veterinarians in a number of public health areas.
   • This shortage is projected to increase to 15,000 veterinarians in the next 20 years.
   • This Act would create a competitive grants program to expand capacity and services at existing schools.
   • AVMA supports passage of this legislation.

Additional information can be found on the AVMA website at the AVMA Government Action Center.

NPPC Issues:

1. H.R. 4341/S. 3681 - CERCLA (Superfund) and Animal Manure
   Message:
   • If opponents of animal agriculture are successful in their efforts to bring manure under EPA's Superfund regulations, any pork producer who spreads manure is open to a lawsuit.
   • Livestock manure is NOT a hazardous material, and pork operations are NOT Superfund sites.
   • URGE A YES VOTE ON H.R. 4341/S. 3681.
2. S. 1915 - The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
   Message:
   • This legislation would ban human consumption of an animal product for emotional reasons rather than for public health or food safety reasons.
   • This legislation threatens all animal agriculture and infringes on personal property rights without just compensation.
   • URGE YOUR SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON S. 1915.
3. Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
   Message:
   • This trade agreement, when implemented will immediate reduce tariffs on U.S. pork exports, which are now as high as 25%. Tariffs on most pork items will be phased out within five years; all pork tariffs will be completely phased out in 10 years.
   • According to Iowa State University economist Dermott Hayes, U.S. live hog prices will increase by $0.83 when the agreement is fully implemented, increasing producer profits by 7%.
   • URGE A YES VOTE ON PERU TRADE AGREEMENT.
4. Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for Vietnam
   Message:
   • According to Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes, U.S. live hog prices will increase by $0.52 per hog when the agreement is fully implemented.
   • In Vietnam, a country of 84 million people, pork represents 72 percent of meat consumption, making the country an excellent market for U.S. pork and pork products.
   • URGE A YES VOTE FOR PERMANENT TRADE RELATIONS FOR VIETNAM.

Please visit the NPPC website to view detailed issue papers describing these issues at www.nppc.org/

For a quick and easy way to locate your Senators' or Representative's phone numbers, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

For a letter template, click on NPPC's Legislative Action Center at this link http://capwiz.com/nppc/dbq/officials/ and enter your zip code.

If you have additional questions, please contact the NPPC Washington Public Policy Office by phone at (202) 347-3600.