Name of Committee: Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade on Livestock and Livestock Products No. of Meetings: 4 Recommendations: (1) Because the EC is pending enforcement of its Third Country Meat Directive and it is a serious threat to the U.S. meat and livestock industries, the Administration vigorously oppose this directive and proceed with a resolution of this matter on a scientific basis. Work closely with the meat and livestock industry to require the EC to recognize that any implementation of the Third Country Meat Direction will lead to immediate and appropriate responses from the U.S. (2) The U.S. oppose the proposed ban on hormones by the EC which constitutes a serious threat to the U.S. meat and livestock industries and violates GATT and the Standards Code. (3) Expressed concern that the EC's imposition of a fats and oils tax could affect tallow and lard. Name of Committee: No. of Meetings: 3 Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade on (1) Unanimously passed a resolution calling for the U.S. to quickly and firmly provide a broad-based response to protect U.S. trade interests if the oil tax is debated and adopted. (2) Voiced support to U.S. negotiating posture in Uruguay Round. Name of Committee: Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade on Poultry and Eggs No. of Meetings: 5 Recommendations: (1) FSIS approval of imports of United Kingdom poultry and poultry products by accepting their inspection standards apply only if UK accepts U.S. poultry inspected by U.S. under our system, without reservation. Favors the poultry industry's impending lawsuit against USDA if FSIS proposal approving UK system as "the same as" the U.S. system is accepted. Feels that U.S. (2) U.S. negotiators "hang tough" in poultry area. export subsidies are the only factor pushing other countries forward to negotiate and that poultry EEP was best mechanism to bring other countries, both subsidized and nonsubsidized, to the negotiating table. (3) U.S. not "give in" to EC and Japanese delaying tactics and complaints from other "nonsubsidizing" countries about U.S. export policies under the 1985 Food Security Act. (4) Notification in advance of any change in U.S. Customs duties and/or service charges. (5) Expressed support of U.S. Government MTN proposal, efforts and strategy for agriculture in general and the poultry sector in particular. Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade on Name of Committee: No. of Meetings: 0 None Name of Committee: Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade on Tobacco No. of Meetings: 2 Recommendations: (1) Committee identify issues of importance to the tobacco industry for Uruguay Round. (2) Committee would provide guidance for use of harmonized tariff system negotiations in Geneva on several technical tobacco nomenclature definitions and identify any problems U.S. trade may have experienced of entry into Canada of certain types of U.S. tobacco under an obscure Canada tariff category. Name of Committee: Animal Health Science Research Advisory Board Recommendations: 1 (1) That at least one or two members of each of the three peer panels involved in evaluating Bovine Disease Research proposals be available after the 3-day sessions to form a fourth panel which would have the responsibility of ranking the proposals recommended for funding from the three bovine panels. (2) The CSRS Administrator should have the authority and the encouragement of the Board to form a task force or other type group to look into the Chinese Pig importation issue and to determine if CSRS, in working with other agencies or universities, could help to expedite the program to import swine germplasm from China. (3) Strongly supported additional funding for food safety animal health research in CSRS to provide for problem solving in the animal food chain. Recommended that the research be focused in both the production environment (on farm) as well as the processing environment (processing plant and distribution). Diagnostic and detection methodologies for food borne microbials, hormones, antibiotics and other toxic chemicals should be developed to detect these agents during the grow out and prior to slaughter. Processing research should emphasize new methods of processing to prevent inplant contamination and means to remove or reduce those contaminants prior to distribution. Urged the Secretary to give this issue a very high priority in the administration of research funds on a continuing basis. (4) Coordinate more closely with the National Institute of Health and other institutions currently funding research on zoonotic and other human related animal health problems so that duplication of funding can be minimized and available funding in CSRS can be focused more on priority research efforts contributing to solution of current industry animal health and disease problems. (5) Give serious consideration in helping to support and design training programs for graduate veterinarians. The plan is to train 800 scientists by the year 2000: 300 in animal health biotechnology and 400 in health management systems and food safety. The final 100 would be trained to fill academic, industry, and state and federal regulatory and research positions. Name of Committee: Citizens Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunity All recommendations relate to the ASCS. (1) Graduating County Office Trainees (COT) be selected and referred to County Committees as County Executive Directors (CED) in a more effective manner. Could be done through standardized criteria according to the graduate's ability, where the training officer assigns a numerical value to the graduate and matches him/her according to the work in counties having vacancies. If the highest score is not selected, a justification for nonselection must be submitted to the State Executive Director (SED). Qualified COTS should automatically be placed on the state recruitment register for positions throughout USDA. Major outreach for COTS should be from the county workforce already in place. (2) Require all COTS to be placed for employment within a definite time after completion of the training. Hold SEDs and State Committees responsible. (3) With each opportunity to fill a CED position, the SED should meet with the County Committee prior to selection interviews and final decisions being made so the SED can provide appropriate EEO do and don'ts. (4) EEO/civil rights aspects of training provided County Committees be reviewed, evaluated and revised to insure that CED members are properly informed of their legal obligations and policy responsibilities. Further, that these same aspects of training for the CEDs be reviewed, evaluated and revised to insure sufficient expertise and skill by the CED to assist and advise the County Committee in fulfilling their EEO/civil rights mission. (5) Continue to give major consideration to management experience in a county office to qualify a person for selection as a CED, in lieu of a required college degree or other specific training. (6) That each "Ag in the Classroom" statewide coordinator meet with the SED and demonstrate an "Ag in the Classroom" program in their home state prior to September 30, 1988. (7) The Cooperative Education Program be communicated, and a request for immediate participation be extended to every university, college or technical school located in the same county as an ASCS facility or office. The invitation to participate should be offered through the various offices on minority affairs, minority student placement or women's affairs and must include positions in management, accounting, computer science and related ASCS career fields. (8) Establish a special recruitment program; use stay-in-school and college work study programs for temporary positions at the County level. (9) Develop a comprehensive outreach plan to make minorities and women more familiar with the process for election of county committee members and to encourage more minorities and women to seek election to county committees. (10) Direct all county offices to determine whether the spouse of the producer with an interest in the land being farmed is currently listed as an eligible voter, then include those spouses listed as eligible voters for county committee elections. (11) The Secretary, after consultation with members of Congress and elected state officials, appoint women and minorities to membership on state ASCS committees in numbers more proportionate to the number of women and minorities who are producers. (12) The SED, who is the focal point for hiring and firing in the state and county, be held accountable for effective EEO performance. (1) Approval of the FY 1987 regional research fund allotment schedule. (2) Of the 65 new or revised research proposals reviewed, recommended approval of 49, rejection of 6 and deferral and resubmission of 10, after concerns had been addressed by the technical committees. (3) Approval of 23 extensions. (4) After an indepth review of 33 RRF projects in their first two years of operation, made recommendations to respective administrative advisers based upon findings. (5) Approval of both the Interregional and Regional off-the-top budgets. (6) The establishment of a national ad hoc committee on interregional projects to assess classification, operating procedures and funding. Name of Committee: Cooperative Forestry Research Advisory Council Recommendations: 1 (1) Priority be given to research that will lead to: new and improved wood products for domestic and foreign markets; improved timber harvesting and manufacturing processes that will enhance U.S. competitiveness and profitability; marketing strategies and federal policies that will expand domestic and foreign markets, and improve profitability and competitiveness; developing more efficient and effective forest management strategies for the production of multiple forest benefits, including wood, water, range, recreation, fish, wildlife and soil stability. (2) That a Council member be appointed to the National Agricultural Research Committee and a liaison from the Council to the Joint Council be appointed. (3) That Council priorities in forest resources be emphasized in the forestry competitive grants program managed by CSRS by having peer panels consider these priorities in the evaluation of proposals. (4) That necessary steps be taken to insure that publications and graduate student numbers supported by the program are reported and are available to the public in the Current Research Information System data base and associated publications. (5) That funding for the McIntire-Stennis program be re-examined because appropriations have been eroded by inflation and that funding for this productive and beneficial program be significantly increased as soon as possible. (6) That funding for forestry competitive research grants be maintained and enhanced in the years ahead. Name of Committee: Federal Grain Inspection Service Advisory Committee Recommendations: (1) Recommended that FGIS lower by .2 percent protein the base line value for Hard Red Spring wheat and rebias the near-infrared instruments accordingly. (2) The agency should not prohibit recombining or adding dockage or foreign material to grain. (3) The agency should not prohibit adding recirculated dust to grain. (4) The agency should prohibit adding sweepings back to grain. (5) The agency should not amend the U.S. standards for grain to treat all insects the same or use the same insect tolerance for all grains. Name of Committee: General Conference Committee of the National Poultry No. of Meetings: 1 (1) That the following resolution, as presented at the U.S. Animal Health Association meeting in 1987, be adopted administratively but not as a regulation: "Therefore, be it resolved, that the USAHA urge USDA-APHIS-VS to require the importation requirements for poultry (chickens and turkeys) meet the same standards as the National Poultry Improvement Plan for Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), M. synoviae (MS), M. meleagridis (MM)." (2) That several mycoplasma research laboratories serve as collaborative laboratories to evaluate lots of M.G. antigens as to their sensitivity and specificity. (3) That the NPIP Technical Committee be asked to review the mycoplasma testing procedures in the provisions of the NPIP and make recommendations to the General Conference Committee (GCC) for changes. (4) That the NPIP staff review the provisions of "U.S. Sanitation Monitored" program of the NPIP and propose to the next NPIP Conference any changes which would increase the program's effectiveness in curtailing the salmonella in poultry meat. (5) That research priority be given to antigen improvement and to application and improvements of technological test procedures including ELISA, flow cytometer, capture ELISA using monoclonal antibody, protein and DNA fingerprinting, and recombinant DNA techniques. (6) That the age at which turkey breeding flocks can be bloodtested for official disease control programs under the NPIP be lowered to 12 weeks from the present 16 weeks of age and that a proposal to this effect be made at the next NPIP conference. (7) That the NPIP staff review the sanitation regulations of the NPIP with the Office of the General Counsel to get a legal opinion concerning the recommended use of formaldehyde and report the findings to the GCC. (8) That the action taken by the Deputy Secretary in 1987 concerning the makeup of advisory committees as to equal employment opportunities for minorities and women be applauded and that these recommendations be executed to fulfill the intent and requirements of the equal employment opportunity directive. |