U.S. House Appropriations for Agriculture Subcommittee Meets

The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations on June 17, 2003, took the first step to funding U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs for next fiscal year. The full Appropriations Committee plans to take up the spending bill in the coming weeks at which point the funding levels for scrapie eradication, Wildlife Services, Market Access Program and National Sheep Industry Improvement Center will be available. ASI has testified in support of additional appropriations for each of these crucial programs for next fiscal year.

Also of interest to sheep producers is an amendment agreed to by the subcommittee that would preclude USDA from spending any of next year?s appropriations to implement the regulation for Country of Origin Labeling of meat. Should this language be approved by the U.S. House, and similarly approved the U.S. Senate, the final regulation for mandatory labeling would be delayed. The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture has announced an oversight hearing on origin labeling for June 26 in Washington, D.C.

Staff contact: Peter Orwick, ext. 33.



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