{
  "id": "RL33958",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL33958",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 410116,
      "date": "2009-01-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T02:55:43.163022",
      "title": "Animal Agriculture: 2008 Farm Bill Issues",
      "summary": "With a few exceptions (such as milk), the products of animal agriculture are not eligible for the price and income supports that Congress historically has written into farm bills for major row crops such as grains, cotton, and oilseeds. However, the meat and poultry industries do look to the federal government for leadership and support in promoting their exports, resolving trade disputes, and reassuring markets that their products are safe, of high quality, and disease-free. Farm bills can contain policy guidance and resources to help achieve these objectives.\nAnimal producers closely follow the development of farm bills because of their potential impact on production and marketing costs. For example, policies promoting crop-based alternative fuels like ethanol already have contributed to higher prices for corn and soybeans, both important animal feedstuffs. Where additional biofuels policy incentives were being considered for inclusion in a new farm bill, cattle, hog, and poultry producers urged restraint and/or encouraged more use of non-feed crops like grasses and field wastes. Other issues of interest included proposals from some farmer-rancher coalitions to address perceived anti-competitive market behavior by large meat and poultry processing companies; and proposed changes in food safety laws.\nA number of animal-related provisions, some potentially quite significant for producers and agribusinesses, were debated during Congress\u2019s deliberations on a 2007-2008 farm bill. Several of these proposals advanced to be included in the final version of the bill (P.L. 110-246) that became law in June 2008. It contains a new title on Livestock (Title XI) with provisions affecting how USDA is to regulate livestock and poultry markets\u2014but lacking much of the extensive language that had been in the Senate-passed version of the bill. For example, conferees omitted a Senate provision that would have prohibited large meat packers from owning, feeding, or controlling livestock except within 14 days of slaughter.\nOther livestock title provisions in the final version include permitting some state-inspected meat and poultry products to enter interstate commerce, just like USDA-inspected products; bringing catfish under mandatory USDA inspection; and modifying the mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law to ease compliance requirements affecting meats and other covered commodities. In the Miscellaneous title (Title XIV), Congress included amendments aimed at further protecting primarily companion animals, which are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Title XV, containing the bill\u2019s revenue and tax provisions, creates a new disaster assistance trust fund that could provide new assistance to livestock producers affected by weather disasters.\nIn the 111th Congress, lawmakers\u2019 attention likely will be focused on USDA\u2019s implementation of these provisions. Whether they might take renewed interest in provisions that did not pass\u2014for example, the ban on large packer ownership of livestock\u2014was uncertain at the start of 2009. This report will not be updated.",
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94104/",
      "id": "RL33958_2008Jul01",
      "date": "2008-07-01",
      "retrieved": "2012-07-24T12:39:36",
      "title": "Animal Agriculture: 2008 Farm Bill Issues",
      "summary": "This report discusses a number of animal-related provisions related to the 2008 farm bill.  It includes background and specific provisions from the bill for each of the issues and options analyzed in the report: market competition and packer concentration, livestock mandatory price reporting, meat and poultry safety, country-of-origin labeling, animal identification for health protection, animal welfare, feed prices, disaster assistance, and environmental issues.  The report also provides a summary comparison of previous farm bills with the 2008 provisions for selected issues.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agriculture",
          "name": "Agriculture"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agricultural productivity",
          "name": "Agricultural productivity"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Agricultural policies",
          "name": "Agricultural policies"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Protection of farm animals",
          "name": "Protection of farm animals"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc815371/",
      "id": "RL33958_2007Jul23",
      "date": "2007-07-23",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Animal Agriculture: 2007 Farm Bill Issues",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc818790/",
      "id": "RL33958_2007Apr11",
      "date": "2007-04-11",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Animal Agriculture: 2007 Farm Bill Issues",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Agricultural Policy",
    "Economic Policy",
    "Energy Policy"
  ]
}