Table of Contents:

• President Clinton Vetoes Tax-Cut Bill Including Elimination of “Death Tax”
• House and Senate Conferees Begin Resolving Differences on Agriculture Funding Bill
• United Takes Lead Role in Promoting Federal Crop Insurance Program Changes
• United Meets with FDA Foods Chief
• National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods Meeting
• Grassroots Grower Program Features Strategies for Adapting to Industry Consolidation
• Food-Borne Illnesses on the Decline Says Recent CDC Study
• USDA to Suspend Watermelon Crop Insurance Pilot Program
• OSHA Issues New Forklift Training Requirements

President Clinton Vetoes Tax-Cut Bill Including Elimination of “Death Tax”

On September 23, the President took action as anticipated and vetoed H.R. 2488, The Financial Freedom Act of 1999 which narrowly passed the Senate and was approved by the House on a party-line vote. United strongly supported the $792 billion tax-cut measure eliminating the estate tax or “death tax” and allowing farmers and ranchers to benefit from tax-deferred “Farm Accounts.” Without enough votes to override the President’s veto, Congressional Republican leaders will have to decide whether or not they want to reopen negotiations with President Clinton on a smaller tax package or carry this issue into the next session of Congress, thereby becoming an election issue. Details: Donna Denison, ddenison@uffva.org

House and Senate Conferees Begin Resolving Differences on Agriculture Funding Bill

House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Conferees met this week to resolve the differences between their respective funding bills for USDA and related agencies for FY2000. One of the major issues for the produce industry is funding included in the Senate version for disaster assistance. The $7.7 billion Senate proposal now under consideration would provide a total of $500 million to address 1999 crop losses in excess of 35 percent. In addition, the Senate proposal authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to provide $50 million in emergency funds to fruit and vegetable producers. United has been actively encouraging Conferees to include equitable funding in their report for fruit and vegetable producers to address excessive crop losses confronting growers nationwide. Details: Donna Denison, ddenison@uffva.org

United Takes Lead Role in Promoting Federal Crop Insurance Program Changes

United’s Vice President of Governmental and Public Affairs, Robert Guenther and Director of Legislative Affairs, Donna Denison and Mark Nicholson of the U.S. Apple Association met with USDA’s Risk Management Agency to discuss current and potential modifications being considered by the USDA to improve coverage for apples under the Federal Crop Insurance Program. The meeting focused on prioritizing key risk management improvements which could be implemented to assist apple growers over the next several years, and many of the options could be expanded to cover other fruit and vegetable commodities. United has taken a lead role in promoting needed changes in the Federal Crop Insurance Program for the produce industry and is working with USDA and Congressional Members to ensure needed reforms for all sectors of the industry. Details: Donna Denison, ddenison@uffva.org

United Meets with FDA Foods Chief

United President Tom Stenzel joined with the presidents of seven other Washington , D.C. food trade associations to meet with FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Director Joe Levitt September 21. The association presidents representing grocery products, meat, dairy, snack foods, soft drinks, baked goods, candy and frozen foods reviewed food industry priorities with Levitt and heard his views on upcoming challenges for the FDA. Levitt had joined Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala at United’s Washington Public Policy Conference the previous week to discuss nutrition and food safety concerns to the produce industry. Details: Diane Cullo, dcullo@uffva.org

National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods Meeting

Dr. Donna Garren, director, scientific and technical affairs, attended a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods in Washington, D.C., September 21-24. The Committee provides scientific and technical advice to FDA, USDA, and other sponsoring agencies and met to review several issues but focussed heavily on bare-hand contact of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in retail establishments. NACMCF agreed that bare-hand contact with RTE foods can contribute to the transmission of human foodborne illness and recommended several strategies for interrupting the transmission of any illness. The exclusion and/or restriction of ill food workers from handling RTE foods, thorough handwashing and minimizing bare-hand contact of food and food contact surfaces, were included as options. The Committee found that there was insufficient scientific data to support blanket prohibition of bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. Details: Dr. Donna Garren, dgarren@uffva.org

Grassroots Grower Program Features Strategies for Adapting to Industry Consolidation

As part of the Grassroots Grower Education Program, United’s Research and Education Foundation will host the fifth program in a six-part series, “Strategies for Adapting to Industry Consolidation,” on October 6 in Seaside, CA. The seminar will address the impact of industry consolidation and globalization on produce buying practices, strategies for growers and marketers to cope with changing business dynamics, and offer expert advice on consolidation. Sponsored by an education grant from BASF Agricultural Products, this event is presented in partnership with the California Strawberry Commission, Grower Shipper Vegetable Association of Central California, the State Bar of California Agriculture Committee, and Western Growers Association. “Out of all of the issues affecting the produce industry, consolidation may have the most wide spread effect on the way our entire industry conducts business,” said Steve Griffin, president of Misionero Vegetable and United chairman-elect. “With fewer buyers and fewer marketers, growers are under increased pressure to produce predictable yields and keep costs down. This program is designed to educate the produce industry on the specifics of consolidation and introduce strategies that will help them stay competitive.” Details: Victoria Kuhns, vkuhns@uffva.org

Food-Borne Illnesses on the Decline Says Recent CDC Study

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control reports a decline in the overall incidences of two of the most common causes of food-borne disease in the U.S. and improved inspection mechanisms, prevention efforts and consumer education are believed to be the cause. The study found that over the three-year period between 1996 and 1998, salmonella cases declined by 14% and Salmonella Enteritidis declined by 44%. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala said, “These new findings are encouraging and show that our intensified fight against food-borne illness is paying off.” The data reported is from the Food Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) program, the principal foodborne-disease component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Emerging Infections Program (EIP), which monitors nine food-borne diseases in selected U.S. cities. For More information, visit the FoodNet website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/foodnet/98surv.htm

USDA to Suspend Watermelon Crop Insurance Pilot Program

USDA’s Risk Management Agency Administrator Ken Ackerman announced the upcoming suspension of the watermelon crop insurance pilot program effective for the 2000 crop year. While all current insurance policies will remain in force until the end of the individual producers’ insurance indicated contract period, the policies will be canceled in accordance with the policy terms for the 2000 crop year. “Based on the feedback we have received, we need to retool the program into a more market-neutral product,” said Ackerman. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) approved the program in 1998 for the 1999 – 2001 crop years in 15 counties in seven states. The program was developed to explore the viability of providing insurance protection on a crop previously covered by the Noninsured Assistance Program or “ad hoc” disaster payments. For more information, contact Eric Edgington at (202) 690-2539.

OSHA Issues New Forklift Training Requirements

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised its existing requirements for powered industrial truck (forklift) operator training and issued new requirements to improve operator training. The new requirements are intended to reduce the number of injuries and deaths occuring as a result of inadequate operator training and apply to all industries in which the trucks are being used, except agricultural operations. March 1 was the effective date of the new requirements. Training and evaluation of current operators must be completed by December 1 and new operators employed after that date must be trained and evaluated before being assigned to operate a forklift. OSHA expects that these new requirements will save 11 lives and prevent 9,422 injuries per year and will cost $16.9 million annually. For more information, visit OSHA’s website on this ruling at http://www.osha-slc.gov/FedReg_osha_data/FED19981201.html
or call Richard Sauger at OSHA at (202) 693-2082.