News Update

News Update
May 9, 2006

Korea fears U.S. may take beef case to WTO

The Korean government is alert to the possibility that the U.S. will take its case to the World Trade Organization (WTO) should Korea continue to delay its import of U.S. beef, The Korea Times reported.

A senior official at the Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry told The Korea Times Tuesday that Korea is not in a position to reject meat from cattle produced in the U.S. “The U.S. may sue Korea under international trade agreements (including the 1994 Uruguay Round),” the article reported the ministry official as saying. “There is no justification for further ban on U.S. beef.”

The Korean delegation currently inspecting U.S. plants is expected to finish its visit May 20.

AFT plan calls for Farm Bill overhaul

The American Farmland Trust (AFT), a farm and ranch land conservation organization, has released a proposal that calls for overhauling the direction of farm policy. Entitled “Agenda 2007: A new Framework and Direction for U.S. Farm Policy,” the full plan and executive summary are available at www.farmland.org.

“Nearly half the land in America is working land — farms and ranches,” said AFT President Ralph Grossi. “Our proposed framework replaces outdated policies with programs that will help U.S. farmers and ranchers to be successful in the future and to protect our natural resources.”

AFT says livestock producers and specialty crop growers, who have largely been left out of previous farm bills, have a major stake in a new generation of farm policies.

The proposal’s major policy recommendations include:

• “Green payments” to create greater incentives for farmers to deliver environmental benefits;

• Revenue-based risk management programs to replace counter-cyclical programs;

• A $1-billion grant program to foster innovative enterprises, markets and regional food systems; and

• A new cooperative conservation program to encourage further stewardship.

For more information visit www.farmland.org, or contact Jennifer Morrill at jmorrill@farmland.org or (202) 378-1255.

Today is Death Tax call-in day

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has designated today as the national 2006 Capitol Hill call-in day for agriculturalists to encourage their Senators to vote for permanent repeal of the Federal Estate and Gift Tax, commonly called the Death Tax.

Any U.S. Senator can be reached via the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or individual office numbers can be found on NCBA’s Web site at http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/109thSenateContacts.pdf.

“On May 9, we urge farmers and ranchers to pick up the phone and call their Senators on Capitol Hill,” said Mike John, NCBA president and Missouri cattleman. “Explain first-hand how the Death Tax has been detrimental to your family business and devastating for agriculture. A few minutes of your time can make a world of difference in Washington, D.C.”

For more detailed information on the Death Tax and how it affects farmers and ranchers, visit http://hill.beef.org/tax.

— compiled by Meghan Soderstrom, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.