Legislation to Stop EPA?s ?Secret Science? Moves Forward
WASHINGTON – The House Science, Space and Technology Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill intended to stop the Environmental Protection Agency?s use of what Republicans call “secret science” to write regulations, according to The Hill.
Texas Representative Lamar Smith says EPA?s regulatory process is both hidden and flawed. Smith says EPA hides the data and then handpicks scientists to review it. He says the legislation would require EPA?s science to be available for validation and replication because Americans impacted by EPA regulations have a right to see the data and determine for themselves if the agency?s actions are based on sound science or a partisan agenda.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy says the agency?s scientific process is sound. McCarthy says if EPA is being accused of secret science because it relies on real scientists to conduct research, independent scientists to peer review it and scientists who?ve spent a lifetime studying the science to reproduce it – then so be it.
Biotech Trade Policy Crucial for Soybean Exports
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, American Soybean Association Treasurer Richard Wilkins testified before the Senate Committee on Finance concerning the importance of biotechnology to soybean farmers as the U.S. pursues trade agreements abroad.
Soybeans are the leading agricultural export for the U.S., and Wilkins stressed the importance of the need for a more consistent regulatory framework in partner nations, especially China and the European Union. While other countries have adopted systems for biotech trait approvals, Wilkins says decisions are subject to differing regulations or overtly political, which can result in lengthy delays between approvals in importing and exporting countries.
He says this is a concern because a trace amount of a trait detected in a cargo can result in its rejection and major losses for the shipper, until an importer approves a new trait. This is the third time Wilkins has testified on international trade issues.
TPP Negotiators Will Meet Again This Week
TOKYO – According to The Japan Times, Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations will resume July 3-12 in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, Ontario.
Chief negotiators will discuss remaining topics in the discussions, including tariffs and intellectual property rights. President Barack Obama has said he hopes a TPP agreement will be reached before his trip to Asia in November.
Visit from Chinese Delegation Beneficial for U.S. Exporterd
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Last month, a 13-person team of senior-level buyers from top red meat importers in China and Hong Kong toured pork and beef processing plants in America?s heartland with the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
The team also was briefed by U.S. beef and pork exporters during their tour in the country. Mark Boyd of Porky Products says the meeting with the Chinese team was the highlight of the week. Boyd says the quality of the customers who came from China and Hong Kong was exceptionally high, and having the opportunity to meet the buyers and have them sample products enabled generation of immediate sales to new customers.
One World Beef President Eric Brandt says the meetings were a springboard to new business with qualified, respected buyers. Brandt says he hopes the Chinese and U.S. governments do the right thing and open up new beef trade between the two countries so that commerce can begin.
Beef Industry Tagline?s Success Over Time
WASHINGTON – The Beef. It?s What?s for Dinner phrase is one of the most successful taglines ever, according to Jim Boudreau, who was in charge of the campaign effort from 1998 to 2002.
He says it resonates with everyone, whether they?re in their 20s or 70s. Boudreau says the beef checkoff wanted to own the dinner meal, and the tagline helped accomplish that. Unspecified research cited by Boudreau shows that almost every year, more than eight out of ten consumers have at some point seen or heard the tagline< and about half can recite the beef industry tagline unaided, even though television advertising has not been done for a decade.Beef Checkoff Manager of Marketing, Advertising and New Media Martin Roth says Beef. It?s What?s for Dinner isn?t just a tagline, it?s the brand and authority for all things beef.
The above stories are provided courtesy of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters New Service, powered by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
