Agricultural Issues in the 109th Congress
th
Agricultural Issues in the 109 Congress
Ralph M. Chite
Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Summary
A number of issues affecting U.S. agriculture have been or are being addressed by
the 109th Congress. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), enacted in
February 2006, included a net reduction in spending on U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) mandatory programs of $2.7 billion over five years, and the reauthorization of
a dairy income support program. Other issues of importance to agriculture during the
second session of the 109th Congress include the consideration of emergency farm
disaster assistance; multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations; concerns about
agroterrorism, food safety, and animal and plant diseases (e.g., “mad cow” disease and
avian flu); high energy costs; environmental issues; agricultural marketing matters; the
reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and farm labor issues.
Farm Production Support
Budget and Spending. Pressure to reduce the federal budget deficit required
Congress to consider reductions in spending on USDA programs. The 109th Congress has
addressed USDA spending levels on two fronts: in budget reconciliation and in the annual
agriculture appropriations bill. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171, enacted
February 8, 2006) contains net reductions in USDA mandatory spending of $2.7 billion
over five years. Nearly half of this reduction was achieved through a change in the timing
of farm commodity payments, and most of the balance consists of cuts to conservation,
rural development, and research spending. Separately, the full House has passed and the
Senate Appropriations Committee has reported their respective versions of the FY2007
Agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 5384), which will provide annual funding for nearly
all USDA agencies and programs. (See CRS Report RS22086, Agriculture and FY2006
Budget Reconciliation; and CRS Report RL33412, Agriculture and Related Agencies:
FY2007 Appropriations.)
Farm Disaster Assistance. Several major weather events in 2005 and 2006,
particularly Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and a widespread drought, have caused the 109th
Congress to consider emergency disaster assistance for farmers this year. In response to
the 2005 hurricanes, Congress so far has provided about $1.6 billion in agricultural
assistance in two emergency supplemental acts (P.L. 109-148 and P.L. 109-234). To date,
Congress has not authorized any emergency crop or livestock payments for 2005 or 2006
production losses outside of the Gulf states. However, the Senate-reported version of the
FY2006 agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 5384) contains $4.0 billion in various forms
of farm assistance, including payments for major crop and livestock losses caused by any
2005 disaster. Similar provisions for non-hurricane states were contained in the
Senate-passed version of an FY2006 supplemental bill (H.R. 4939), but were deleted in
conference because of a threatened Administration veto of the measure. (See CRS
Report RS21212, Agricultural Disaster Assistance.)
Farm Bill and Commodity Support Programs. Farm income and price
support programs are dictated primarily by Title I of the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171),
which expires in 2007. The House and Senate Agriculture Committee are conducting
field hearings this year, with more intensive deliberations and markup expected in both
committees in 2007. At issue is whether Congress will extend the current farm support
policy, or if the pressures of tight federal spending constraints, concerns about the
distribution of farm program benefits, and the threat of potential World Trade
Organization (WTO) challenges to farm price and income support spending will compel
Congress to consider significant changes to existing farm policy. (See CRS Report
RL33037, Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill, and CRS Report RS21999, Farm Commodity
Policy: Programs and Issues for Congress.)
Payment Limits. Most crop payments are subject to annual per-person limits.
Past legislative efforts to reduce the maximum amount of payments that producers can
receive have been thwarted by strong opposition from southern cotton and rice growers.
In the 109th Congress, S. 385 and H.R. 1590 would reduce payment limits to a total of
$250,000 and count commodity certificates and loan forfeiture toward the limits. A Senate
floor amendment to add payment limits to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L.
109-171) failed by a procedural vote of 46-53. The Administration’s FY2007 budget
request contains a legislative proposal that would tighten crop payment limits. (See CRS
Report RS21493, Payment Limits for Farm Commodity Programs: Issues and Proposals.)
Dairy. The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program provides payments to dairy
farmers when farm milk prices are below a specified target level. A provision in the
FY2006 budget reconciliation act (P.L. 109-171) extended MILC program authority for
two years, through September 30, 2007, but prohibits any MILC payments beyond August
31, 2007. Consequently, under current budget rules, the program will have no baseline
budget spending allocated to it beyond its expiration date. A provision in the
House-reported version of the FY2007 Agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 5384) would
have allowed payments in September 2007 and preserved the program’s budget baseline
for the next farm bill debate in 2007. Because of its budget implications, the provision
was deleted on the House floor. Separately, Congress also completed action on a measure
(P.L. 109-215, S. 2120) that requires the regulation of a certain large dairy operation in
the West that was previously exempt from paying federally mandated minimum farm milk
prices. (See CRS Report RL33475, Dairy Policy Issues.)
WTO Cotton Case. In March 2005, a WTO appellate panel ruled against the
United States in a dispute settlement case brought by Brazil, stating that elements of the
U.S. cotton program are not consistent with U.S. trade commitments. In response,
Congress included a provision in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171)
authorizing the elimination of the Step-2 cotton program on August 1, 2006. Following
the indefinite suspension of the WTO Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations in
July 2006, Brazil has pressed for further reductions in U.S. cotton support in response to
the panel ruling. On September 28, 2006, the WTO established a compliance panel in
response to a request by Brazil to determine whether current U.S. actions are sufficient
to comply with the original WTO rulings and recommendations. As a result, additional
permanent modifications to U.S. farm programs may still be needed to fully comply with
the “actionable subsidies” portion of the WTO ruling. Such changes ultimately would be
decided by Congress, most likely in the context of the 2007 farm bill. (See CRS Report
RS22187, U.S. Agricultural Policy Response to WTO Cotton Decision.)
Conservation Programs. Spending for conservation programs, which help
producers protect and improve natural resources on some farmed land and retire other
land from production, have grown rapidly since the 2002 farm bill, reaching a total of
more than $5.2 billion in FY2005. This growth in spending reflects the expanded reach
of conservation programs, which now involve many more landowners and types of rural
lands. Budget pressures forced the 109th Congress to weigh the benefits of these programs
against growing costs. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) reduced
spending on several mandatory conservation programs by a combined $934 million over
five years. Another topic that continues to attract congressional interest is implementation
of the Conservation Security Program, enacted in 2002. Some stakeholders have
questioned why USDA has implemented the program in only a few watersheds, and why
Congress has limited funding even though the program was enacted as a true entitlement.
The environmental, conservation, and agriculture communities have started to identify
conservation policy options that might be considered in the next farm bill. The House and
Senate Agriculture Committees have started to examine selected conservation issues in
recent hearings. (See CRS Report RL33556, Soil and Water Conservation: An Overview.)
Energy. Although not as energy-intensive as some industries, agriculture is a major
consumer of energy — directly, as fuel or electricity, and indirectly, as fertilizers and
chemicals. In early September 2005, energy prices jumped to record levels in the wake
of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. By raising the overall price structure of production
agriculture, sustained high energy prices could result in significantly lower farm and rural
incomes in 2006, and are generating considerable concern about longer-term impacts on
farm profitability. Agriculture also is viewed as a potentially important producer of
renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, although farm-based energy production
remains small relative to total U.S. energy needs. The energy bill (P.L.109-58) enacted
in July 2005 includes a renewable fuels standard (RFS) for biofuels that grows from 4
billion gallons in 2006 to 7.5 billion gallons in 2012. The RFS, along with tax credit
incentives, is expected to encourage significant increases in U.S. ethanol production. (See
CRS Report RL32677, Energy Use in Agriculture: Background and Issues; and CRS
Report RL32712, Agriculture-Based Renewable Energy Production.)
Agricultural Trade Policy
Trade Negotiations. U.S. trade policy seeks to improve market access for U.S.
agricultural products through multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements. U.S.
officials also seek to hold countries to commitments made under existing agreements, and
to resolve disputes impeding farm exports. The Administration is participating in the
current Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, which have focused on the so-
called three pillars of agricultural trade liberalization: trade-distorting domestic subsidies,
market access, and export competition. Negotiators have been unable to reach a
compromise agreement on reducing subsidies or expanding market access for agricultural
products. The expiration of Trade Promotion Authority for fast-track consideration of
trade agreements next year makes the end of 2006 the effective deadline for getting an
agreement ready for congressional consideration. The United States has insisted that it
will not improve its offer on domestic subsidy reduction unless the EU improves its
market access offer and the G-20 countries show a willingness to open their markets not
only to agricultural products but to industrial products and services as well. (See CRS
Report RL33144, WTO Doha Round: The Agricultural Negotiations.)
The 109th Congress passed legislation (P.L. 109-53) to implement the Dominican
Republic-Central America-U.S. free trade agreement (DR-CAFTA) despite strong
opposition from the U.S. sugar industry, which fears those countries would gain increased
access to the U.S. market. Separately, and also negotiating new free trade agreements
with Panama, the Andean countries, Thailand, and the Southern African Customs Union,
among others. (See CRS Report RL32110, Agriculture in the U.S.-Dominican
Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement.)
Other Trade Issues. Other ongoing issues of interest to Congress include rules
of trade for the products of agricultural biotechnology (see CRS Report RL32809,
Agricultural Biotechnology: Background and Recent Issues); the scope of restrictions that
should apply to agricultural sales to Cuba (see CRS Report RL33499, Exempting Food
and Agriculture Products from U.S. Economic Sanctions: Status and Implementation);
and funding for U.S. agricultural export and food aid programs (see CRS Report
RL33553, Agricultural Export and Food Aid Programs).
Protecting the Food Supply
Agroterrorism. The potential of terrorist attacks against agricultural targets
(agroterrorism) is increasingly recognized as a national security threat. “Food defense”
— hardening the critical infrastructure against possible attack — has received increased
attention since 2001. Through increased appropriations, laboratory and response
capacities are being upgraded. National response plans now incorporate agroterrorism.
Yet some in Congress want additional laws or oversight to increase the level of food
defense, particularly regarding interagency coordination, response and recovery
leadership, and ensuring adequate border inspections. (See CRS Report RL32521,
Agroterrorism: Threats and Preparedness.)
Food Safety. Approximately 76 million people get sick and 5,000 die from
food-related illnesses in the United States each year, it is estimated. Congress frequently
conducts oversight and periodically considers legislation on food safety and could do so
again. Some Members continue to be interested in the control of animal diseases that also
threaten human health; the regulation of bioengineered foods, human antimicrobial
resistance (which some link partly to misuse of antibiotics in animal feed), and the safetyth
of fresh produce. In the 109 Congress, for example, S. 729 and H.R. 1507 propose to
consolidate U.S. food safety oversight under an independent U.S. agency. H.R. 3160 and
S. 1357 clarify USDA’s authority in prescribing performance standards for the reduction
of pathogens in meat and poultry products. (See CRS Report RL31853, Food Safety
Issues in the 109th Congress; and CRS Report RL32922, Meat and Poultry Inspection:
Background and Selected Issues.)
BSE. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow disease”) continues
to attract interest, with eleven native North American cases (three in the United States)
confirmed through early October 2006. Authorities characterize the risk to human health
from these cases as extremely low. However, the beef industry has suffered economically
due to foreign borders being closed to U.S. beef. The appearance of BSE in North
America in 2003 raised meat safety concerns and disrupted trade for cattle and beef
producers. A major issue for Congress has been how to rebuild foreign markets for U.S.
beef. Other issues include whether additional measures are needed to further protect cattle
and the public, and concerns over the relative costs and benefits of such measures for
consumers, taxpayers, and industry. (See CRS Report RS22345, BSE (“Mad Cow
Disease”): A Brief Overview.)
Avian Influenza. Since 2003, highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) has
spread from Asia into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; however, no cases of H5N1
have been found yet in the United States. Because avian flu is highly contagious in
domestic poultry and can be carried by wild birds, on-farm biosecurity is important.
Controlling avian flu in poultry is seen as the best way to prevent a human pandemic from
developing. Congress responded to the threat by providing an emergency FY2006
supplemental appropriation (in P.L. 109-148) to combat avian flu, including $91 million
for USDA operations. This supplements the regular funding of $28 million for FY2006,
which includes $15 million in unused funds from prior years. For FY2007, USDA
requests $82 million for avian flu. (See CRS Report RS21747, Avian Influenza:
Agricultural Issues.)
Marketing
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Mandatory COOL for fresh meats,
produce, and peanuts was scheduled to take effect September 30, 2006. However, the
FY2006 Agriculture Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-97) again postponed mandatory COOL
for two additional years. Some Members continue to support mandatory COOL, and a
few of them would prefer that it take effect sooner (S. 1331) or be expanded to processed
meats (S. 135). Others have sought to replace mandatory COOL with voluntary labeling
programs. A bill (H.R. 2068) sponsored by the chairman of the House Agriculture
Committee (and an identical Senate bill, S. 1333) would make COOL labeling voluntary
for fresh meats. S. 1300 would make COOL voluntary for meat, fish, and produce. (See
CRS Report 97-508, Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods.)
Farm Animal Protection. Both the Senate- and House-passed versions of the
FY2006 agriculture appropriation bill (H.R. 2744) barred use of appropriated funds to
pay for ante-mortem inspection of horses for food. The enacted version (P.L. 109-97)
makes the funding ban effective only for approximately the last six months of FY2006;
during this time the three foreign-owned plants in the U.S. that currently slaughter horses,
primarily for European and Japanese consumers, are paying user fees for such inspection.
Free-standing legislation to ban horse slaughter includes H.R. 503 (which passed the full
House by a vote of 263-146 on September 7, 2006) and S. 1915. Among other pending
farm animal welfare related-bills are S. 1779 and H.R. 3931, to prohibit nonambulatory
livestock (also called “downers”) from being used for human food; and H.R. 5557, to
require the federal government to purchase only food and fiber products that were raised
in compliance with prescribed humane standards. (See CRS Report RS21842, Horse
Slaughter Prevention Bills and Issues; and CRS Report RS21978, Humane Treatment of
Farm Animals: Overview and Issues.)
CFTC Reauthorization
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent federal
regulatory agency that regulates the futures trading industry. The CFTC is subject to
periodic reauthorization; current authority expired on September 30, 2005. Congress
traditionally uses the reauthorization process to consider amendments to the Commodity
Exchange Act (CEA), which provides the basis for federal regulation of commodity
futures trading. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees, with jurisdiction over
CFTC, conducted hearings on CFTC reauthorization in March 2005. The full House
passed its version of CFTC reauthorization (H.R. 4473) on December 14, 2005. Floor
action on a Senate-reported measure (S. 1566) is pending. Among the issues in the debate
are (1) regulation of energy derivatives markets, where some see excessive price volatility
and a lack of effective regulation; (2) the market in security futures, or futures contracts
based on single stocks, where cumbersome and duplicative regulation is blamed for low
trading volumes; (3) the regulatory status of foreign futures exchanges selling contracts
in the United States; and (4) the legality of futures-like contracts based on foreign
currency prices offered to retail investors. (See CRS Report RS22028, CFTC
Reauthorization in the 109th Congress.)
Farm Labor and Immigration Reform
Hired farmworkers are an important component of agricultural production. Many of
these laborers are under guest worker programs, which are meant to assure employers
(e.g., fruit, vegetable, and horticulture growers) of an adequate supply of labor when and
where it is needed while not adding permanent residents to the U.S. population. The
connection between farm labor and immigration policies is a longstanding one,th
particularly with regard to U.S. employers’ use of workers from Mexico. The 109
Congress is taking up the issue as part of a larger debate over initiation of a broad-based
guest worker program, increased border enforcement, and employer sanctions to curb the
flow of unauthorized workers into the United States. House and Senate immigration
reform measures (H.R. 4437 and S. 2454) currently being debated have important
implications for hired farm labor. Other bills (H.R. 884/S. 359 and H.R. 3857)th
introduced in the 109 Congress specifically address agricultural labor issues. (See CRS
Report RL33125, Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 109th Congress; CRS Report
and CRS Report RL30395, Farm Labor Shortages and Immigrations Policy.)