The National Pork Producers Council told a House subcommittee Thursday that pork producers and the U.S. economy are losing billions of dollars in exports due to non-science-based food safety and health barriers erected by foreign countries. According to Iowa hog farmer Jim Boyer – who testified before the Small Business Committee’s agriculture, energy and trade panel on behalf of NPPC – so-called sanitary and phytosanitary measures are restricting market access for U.S. pork and adversely affecting U.S. pork producers. He says that’s especially true of small producers like him.

As the U.S. negotiates trade agreements – Boyer says NPPC wants sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues addressed. Boyer says the U.S. pork industry supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership – but the countries that are part of the agreement must eliminate their SPS barriers. They believe the deal should include an SPS chapter with a meaningful dispute settlement provision. The group says Russia has a number of SPS measures that restrict U.S. pork imports – including a zero-tolerance standard for pathogens on meat. NPPC told subcommittee members Russia should abide by the WTO’s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.

NPPC says the European Union should be one of the largest export markets for U.S. pork – but because of its SPS barriers – it is one of the smallest. The group says any U.S.-EU trade agreement must address such non-science-based trade restrictions. Taiwan unfairly restricts U.S. pork exports from hogs fed ractopamine. NPPC believes the Asian nation’s entry into the TPP negotiations should hinge on their elimination of that SPS barrier.

Boyer said pork producers understand that the future of their industry depends on adopting new and safe technologies and in expanding exports. He said it’s vital to protect current market access from unfair barriers or such expansion will be impossible.

Legislators are hearing that the farm bill proposed by the House Agriculture Committee would steer the next five years of national food and farm policy in the wrong direction. That’s the opinion of more than 60 chefs, authors, food and agriculture policy and nutrition experts, business leaders and environment and health organizations who sent an open letter to Capitol Hill. Those signing the letter urged lawmakers to vote a resounding no if the legislation comes to the floor for a vote – unless it is extensively rewritten through the amendment process. Among other things – signers of the letter would like to see amendments that support local, healthy and organic food and provide full funding for nutrition assistance programs. As written – they say the House farm bill would continue sending billions to agribusinesses and weaken regulations around pesticides and genetically modified crops rather than making real reforms to alleviate hunger, strengthen stewardship and boost rural economies.

The letter was initiated out of frustration over the 16-billion dollars in cuts to nutrition programs and 6.1-billion dollar conservation cut. The leaders on the letter organized a similar letter denouncing the Senate version of the farm bill last month. One of those – author Anna Lapp  – says the group is speaking up for millions of Americans who share the belief that the farm bill should use taxpayer dollars wisely and fairly. Lappé says the legislation should promote healthy food, reward farmers who are good stewards of the land and provide much needed resources for struggling families to put food on the table.

The letter expresses deep concern that the bill would continue to give away tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to the largest commodity crop growers, insurance companies and agribusinesses while drastically underfunding programs to protect natural resources, invest in beginning and disadvantaged farmers, revitalize local food economies and promote health and food security.

JEFFERSON CITY – With no end in sight to this year’s record-setting drought and concern that hay shortages might spread, the Missouri Department of Agriculture requested assistance for farmers from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

MoDOT announced it will allow heavier than normal loads of corn and other crop silage and baleage to be hauled on selected Missouri highways. Private and for-hire motor carriers may carry up to 10 percent more than their licensed weight, however, the heavier loads are not allowed to use interstate routes or national defense highway routes.
Farmers who determine their corn, milo, hay and other crops will not bear a harvest often cut, chop and transform the plants into food for livestock.
Overweight permits are not required for these slightly overweight loads. All other traffic and motor carrier regulations that normally apply remain in place. This waiver is in effect between noon, Friday, July 27, 2012 and noon, Friday, August 31, 2012. While the waiver is in effect, participating motor carriers are limited to:
· A loaded, gross weight no greater than ten percent (10%) above the gross licensed weight of the commercial motor vehicle
· Transportation only within the State of Missouri
· Drivers must obey all posted bridge weight limits
· When crossing a bridge, the driver must restrict the vehicle speed to no more than thirty miles per hour (30 mph) and must center the truck between two lanes of the bridge. The truck driver must yield to oncoming traffic, and
· Travel on highways other than Missouri interstate and national defense highways – NO TRAVEL IS ALLOWED ON MISSOURI INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS OR NATIONAL DEFENSE HIGHWAY ROUTES.

All travelers are advised to visit the MoDOT Traveler Information Map at www.modot.org for up-to-date road closure information.
For questions, call 1-800-877-8499 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time.

National defense highways in Missouri include:
U.S. 65 – between Interstate 70 and U.S. 60 in Springfield, Mo.
U.S. 60 – From U.S. 65 in Springfield to U.S. 63 in Cabool, Mo.
U.S. 63 – From U.S. 60 in Cabool to the Arkansas state line
U.S. 71 – from Kansas City to the Arkansas state line
U.S. 50 and Mo. 23 – From Whiteman Air Force Base to I-470 in Kansas City
Mo. 17 and U.S. 63 – From Fort Leonard Wood to U.S. 60

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