Washington Outlook

by Robert L. Redding Jr.

Chairman Bishop Raises Peanut EU Concerns with USDA Secretary

The U.S. Peanut Federation (USPF) discussed with U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop, D-Georgia, European Union (EU) non-tariff trade barriers being applied to U.S. peanut imports. This involves increased levels of afl atoxin limits placed on U.S. peanut imports. It is important to note that these U.S. peanuts have passed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) afl atoxin testing protocol. According to industry experts, the U.S. peanut industry follows all EU sampling and testing protocols but still has many failed lots at their destination based on further sampling and testing.

U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Chairman Bishop raised this important peanut issue with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at a recent Appropriations Committee hearing. Secretary Vilsack recommended that the Offi ce of the U.S. Trade Representative work with the peanut industry to resolve its EU concerns.

In addition, U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott, D-Georgia, discussed the EU peanut issue with his counterpart in the EU Parliament.

UPDATE: U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testifi ed before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss “The President’s 2021 Trade Policy Agenda.” Ambassador Tai’s testimony can be found at www.ustr.gov.

USPF Requests Continuation of Federal Afl atoxin Research Funding

The U.S. Peanut Federation fi led Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations requests for Afl atoxin Research at the National Peanut Research Laboratory and Fort Valley State University. Congress approved $1.5 million for the afl atoxin project in Fiscal Year 2021. Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations hearings are wrapping up for this year and the committees will soon start the mark-up process. The House Appropriations Committee is projected to complete its work in June.

U.S. House and Senate Committees Hold Additional Climate Hearings

The U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing in the Conservation Subcommittee on “Title II Conservation Programs: Exploring Climate Smart Practices.” Subcommittee Chairwoman Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, opened the hearing with comments about the importance of using the Title II Conservation section of the Farm Bill as a vehicle for agricultural climate initiatives.

“As we look to scale the adoption of conservation practices, there is perhaps no greater tool available than the Farm Bill’s conservation programs,” Spanberger says. “Title II programs provide much needed technical and fi nancial assistance to encourage the adoption of cover crops, reduced and no-till management systems, and prescribed grazing systems — among many other climate smart practices. And we have seen fi rsthand these programs working in central Virginia.”

Hearing witnesses included: Charles Edwin “CJ” Isbell Jr., farmer, Keenbell Farm, Rockville, Virginia, Kimberly Ratcliff , ranch manager, Caney Creek Ranch, Oakwood, Texas, Keith Paustian, University Distinguished professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado and James D. Johansson, president, California Farm Bureau, Sacramento, California.

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee also held a climate hearing entitled “Federal, State, and Private Forestlands: Opportunities for Addressing Climate Change.”

Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow opened the hearing by stating, “Mother Nature couldn’t have designed a more eff ective mechanism for sequestering carbon and cleaning our air. America’s forests currently pull as much carbon dioxide out of the air every year as eliminating 54 million cars from the road according to the National Academy of Science. Climate-smart forestry policies off er both tools to reduce carbon pollution and an important opportunity to develop new revenue streams for family foresters.”

UPDATE: USDA has released a 90-Day progress report on Climate-Smart Agriculture. The entire report can be viewed at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/ default/fi les/documents/climate-smart-ag-forestry-strategy-90-day-progressreport.pdf

USDA Extends Supply Chain Comment Period

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is providing an additional 30 days for public comments on the notice for Supply Chains for the Production of Agricultural Commodities and Food Products published in the Federal Register on April 21, 2021. Comments are now due by June 21, 2021. USDA is extending the comment period to allow additional time to receive information valuable to the preparation of the report required by the Executive Order on “America’s Supply Chains.”

During the fi rst two weeks of the comment period, USDA received requests from representatives of critical supply chain activities asking for additional time to provide thoughtful and thorough feedback to this notice. Written comments in response to this notice should be posted online at www.regulations.gov. Comments may also be sent to Dr. Melissa R. Bailey at melissa.bailey@usda. gov.