R-CALF UNITED STOCKGROWERS OF AMERICA

AGR · Agriculture

R-CALF USA works on issues impacting U.S. cattle and sheep farmers and ranchers, including seeking trade policy reform, enforcing antitrust laws and Packers and Stockyards Act, supporting country of origin labeling for beef, opposing mandatory electronic identification of cattle, reforming the beef checkoff program, and protecting U.S. livestock herds from the introduction of foreign animal diseases, including the New World Screwworm.

ANI · Animals

Working to protect the U.S. livestock industry from foreign animal diseases and pests such as foot-and-mouth disease and New World Screwworm (NWS) by pursuing bans on fresh beef from Paraguay and other countries not free of FMD and closing the Mexican border to livestock imports until the NWS is eradicated from Mexico. Working to secure tariffs and tariff rate quotas on cattle, beef, sheep, and lamb. Working to reestablish previous import standards on countries from which the U.S. imports live cattle.

CDT · Commodities (big ticket)

Working to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling for beef and imposing tariffs and tariff rate quotas for countries that persistently maintain a trade surplus in cattle, beef, sheep and lamb.

CAW · Clean Air and Water (quality)

Working to limit the reach of the Waters of the United States proposal to only navigable waters.

CON · Constitution

Working to uphold the private property rights of U.S. cattle and sheep farmers and ranchers as protected by the U.S. Constitution.

DEF · Defense

Monitoring the Powder River Training Area to ensure that livestock operations are not disrupted by low-flying military aircraft. Working to secure approval from the U.S. Dept. of Defense to purchase only beef and lamb that is born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States.

FOO · Food Industry (safety, labeling, etc.)

Working to restore U.S. production and safety standards that were relaxed following the U.S. entry into the World Trade Organization. Working to promote more local and regional meat packing plants.

HOM · Homeland Security

Working to implement tariffs and tariff rate quotas to ensure the U.S. maintains near self-sufficiency in the production of beef and lamb. Working to prevent the release of the live foot-and-mouth disease virus in the United States.

LBR · Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace

Working to enforce U.S. antitrust laws and laws that prohibit anticompetitive conduct such as the Packers and Stockyards Act.

TAR · Tariff (miscellaneous tariff bills)

Seeking Section 201 tariffs for the sheep industry and Section 232 tariffs for both the cattle and sheep industries.

TRD · Trade (domestic/foreign)

Working to reform trade policies to reverse the ongoing trade deficits in the cattle, beef, sheep, and lamb industries.

BUD · Budget/Appropriations

Working to prevent riders in the appropriation process that would prevent needed rulemakings under the Packers and Stockyards Act.

RES · Real Estate/Land Use/Conservation

Working to preserve the water and grazing rights of livestock ranchers who operate on federally managed lands.