2008 Mid-Year Committee Report - Marketing and International Trade Committee
MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT
Charles Bronson, Chairman
Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
2008 Midyear Legislative Conference
Sunday, February 10
Discussion on NAFTA Implementation and Related Trade Issues:
Constance Jackson, Associate Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, provided an update on NAFTA implementation, latest trade numbers, including specific information on Canada and Mexico. She also informed members that the Consultative Committee on Agriculture (CCA) for Mexico met in January 2008. Issues of concern on that agenda included trade in livestock, dry beans and corn, potatoes and apples. Her presentation will be available for members.
Dr. Dan Sheesley, Deputy Administrator, International Services of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) answered questions from the committee concerning trade with Mexico and offered his assistance to work with NASDA on Accord issues.
Report on Tri-National Agricultural Accord
: Minnesota Commissioner Gene Hugoson, Co-Chair, U.S./Canada Working Group and California Secretary A.G. Kawamura , Co-Chair, U.S./Mexico Working Group provided updates to the committee regarding work plans in preparation for the 2008 Accord meeting in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, Aug. 13-15, 2008. Registration will start in mid-March. In addition, New Mexico Secretary Miley Gonzalez informed members about the activities of the tri-lateral working group on rural development and its October meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The following meetings are scheduled:
Mar. 10-11, 2008, Climate Change and Agriculture Educational and Exploratory Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia. The meeting website is http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/CCmtg08/ .
April 16-18, 2008, Tri-lateral Working Group on Harmonization, Sacramento, California hosted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture
May 11-14, 2008, Tri-lateral Working Group on Rural Development, State of Aguascalientes, Mexico
Update on Specialty Crops Task Force:
California Secretary A.G. Kawamura reported on the task force meeting held on Thursday, Febraury 7. The task force heard from Trista Etzig, Agricultural Marketing Service, regarding the Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. The next deadline for grant applications is April 11, 2008. Twenty-one states have had projects approved for FY 2007. She reported that the $8.39 million is available in FY 2008 and that a notice of fund availability will published in the Federal Register in the next few weeks. The task force also heard from Cathy Enright of the Western Growers Association and Bill Nelson of WineAmerica. Each gave reports on the latest regarding the farm bill conference and provisions for specialty crops.
Consideration of Policy Amendments and Action Items
The committee recommended that the following policy amendments be considered by NASDA membership:
Policy Amendment No. 1, Trade with Cuba;
In Section 6, International Marketing and Trade of Agricultural Products, only the subsection on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)
In Section 11, Domestic Marketing and Promotion, only the following sections: Section 11.1 Introduction; Section 11.2 Marketing Integrity; Section 11.9 Check Off Programs for Generic Advertising; and Section 11.12 Organic Agriculture
The changes in sections 6 and 11 are for the purposes of updating and streamlining those policy amendments. The other sections and subsections will be reviewed and updated by the Annual Meeting in September.
Committee Plans
The committee will continue to follow the farm bill conference and determine if NASDA should take action in the coming weeks, will follow progress on the Specialty Crops Block Grant program, will monitor the work of the Accord working groups and continue to take action on updating and streamlining the policy statements under the jurisdiction of the committee.
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