12/28/05 Top N.W. ag stories for 2005, Pt.1

When looking back at what happened to our region from the ag point of view, it could be said that there was a lot things happening going into the year. For one, several markets, primarily in Asia, remained closed to U.S. beef products due to b.s.e. related bans. And that included the previous number one market for American beef & Japan. And considering Japan's slow, agonizing process, it appeared that market would not be opening any time soon. Now before we jump ahead with the partial resumption of U.S. beef exports this month, keep in mind that in the interim months there was a lot of sub-stories unfolding. One of those was the appointment of a new U.S.D.A. Secretary, former Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns, as the Bush Administration began its second term in office. It was Johanns who stated his top priority coming into office was to reopen Japan to U.S. beef. Now Japan's reopening should not solely be credited to Johanns. Give credit to some of his friends, such as supporters of the U.S. beef industry, members of Congress, and other U.S.D.A. officials for their continued negotiations, and pressure in the form of threats of retaliatory sanctions against Japan. Then there was the lifting of our nation's own b.s.e. related ban on Canadian live cattle and some beef products, which came after the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's preliminary injunction keeping our border closed. The hearing for that case was held this summer in Seattle. But plaintiff R-C.A.L.F. U.S.A. and its C.E.O. Bill Bullard said they will now focus on the permanent injunction for border closure prior to the Ninth Circuit's ruling. BULLARD: What we would do is hopefully convince the District Court that the previous decision issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals doesn't effect in any way the District Court's ability to render a decision. Complicating the food safety and trade issues surrounding beef was the discovery of a second case of b.s.e in the U.S this summer. The diplomacy plays over beef highlighted what turned out to be a year of diplomatic related stories. There was the debate in Congress over ratification of the Central American  Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which was eventually signed, but still not officially implemented pending approval by Costa Rica. There was the drama leading up to the World Trade Organization's Hong Kong Ministerial on ag trade reform which turned out didn't have much of a plot, only a goal of cutting subsidies by the year 2013 and continuing talks into 2006. Some of the regulatory issues our region's farm and ranch producers had to deal with in 2005 are the subjects of our next program.