To ensure the nation’s animal products continue to be safely exported during an animal disease outbreak, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) recently offered a bipartisan bill that would preemptively require negotiated regionalization agreements between federal and state agencies for such known diseases.
“As the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the nation, trade is vital to Iowa’s farmers, producers, and rural economy. These industries make our families and farm economy succeed,” Rep. Feenstra said. “However, like every producer fears, foreign animal disease can devastate flocks and herds, preventing our farmers from selling their high-quality product on the global market.
“To rectify this issue, I am proud to introduce legislation with my colleague Rep. Jimmy Panetta that ensures a disease outbreak in one part of the country does not impact Iowa’s ability to produce and export the agricultural goods that our country and the world rely on,” he added.
The Safe American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 3748, which Rep. Feenstra sponsored on May 30 with Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), would codify the role of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in negotiating regionalization agreements that allow livestock, poultry, and other animal products from unaffected areas of the country to continue to be safely exported in the event of an animal disease outbreak, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers. U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) signed on a cosponsor of the bill on June 6.
While USDA already works with the United States Trade Representative to develop such agreements, H.R. 3748 would explicitly express congressional support for establishing regionalization agreements and promoting agricultural trade policies before an animal disease impacts the nation, the summary says.
“Animal disease outbreaks can cause massive disruptions for American producers reaching global markets, even when threats are localized in another part of the country,” said Rep. Panetta, noting that the bill “will ensure our producers can continue to meet global food supply demands while maintaining the high food safety standards consumers deserve.”
Additionally, the bill would establish a notification system within the Import and Export Library to prevent America’s producers from being impacted by changes in trade status of agricultural commodities and alert the proper agencies, organizations, and State Departments of Agriculture of changes in import or export status, states the summary.
The measure has garnered support from the Iowa Turkey Federation, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the National Turkey Federation, the American Feed Industry Association, and the North American Renderers Association.
“As an unwavering advocate for Iowa agriculture, I will work diligently to pass this legislation either in the Farm Bill or on the House floor and hold the Biden administration accountable for its non-existent trade agenda so that we can deliver certainty and relief for our producers,” said Rep. Feenstra.