News

Ag groups applaud omnibus spending bill

Agriculture groups are applauding the new government spending package.  President Donald Trump signed the omnibus spending bill Friday afternoon but says he almost vetoed it.  “I was thinking about doing the veto, but because of the incredible gains that we’ve been able to make for the military, that overrode any of our thinking.”

The beef, poultry, and the dairy industries were quick to applaud the agriculture exemption under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).  The exemption means farmers won’t have to report manure-related hydrogen sulfide and ammonia emissions.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is pleased with a waiver of mandatory electronic logging devices for livestock haulers until September 30^th.

The spending package also recreates the Section 199 Domestic Production Activities Deduction (DPAD) tax provision that was repealed by last year’s tax reform bill.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Kevin Kester says this omnibus spending bill includes several provisions that represent major victories for America’s cattle producers.  “First, we were able to kill the notion that our farms and ranches will be regulated like toxic Superfund sites under the CERCLA law. Second, we were able to secure another delay of the Electronic Logging Device mandate for livestock haulers. And finally, we were able to get Congress to address the 199A tax issue.  These are all provisions that will help producers, and I want to thank all of our allies on Capitol Hill who helped secure them in the final legislation.”

National Milk Producers Federation President Jim Mulhern says, “Because of recent court decisions, the CERCLA law was poised to require farms to generate meaningless reports that regulatory agencies do not want and will not use.  We worked very hard to build bipartisan support for this legislation, which represents a common-sense fix to this looming legal dilemma.”

The National Turkey Federation, National Chicken Council, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and United Egg Producers issued a joint statement saying, “All told, an additional 36 Senators and 90 Representatives ultimately co-sponsored the bills and stood up for the nation’s poultry and egg producers and processors.  This united technical and legislative effort has been nearly 15 years in the making, and it is one of the most visible and essential demonstrations of support for U.S. farmers. Our deep appreciation for this action and bi-partisan cooperation cannot be overstated.”