The U.S. House Agriculture Committee passed its initial reconciliation bill yesterday. It contains several NCBA-supported provisions that strengthen the defense against foreign animal disease and aid producers who have lost cattle due to predator depredation or natural disasters. The legislation now moves to the full House for further consideration.

This bill addresses several issues NCBA members have brought forward through the grassroots policy process. In particular, the legislation would reimburse cattle producers for losses due to depredation by federally protected predators; expand access to the livestock forage disaster program for producers experiencing drought; continue funding the feral swine eradication program; and bolster the “three-legged stool” that protects the cattle industry from foreign animal disease, including the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB). NAVVCB currently houses emergency supplies for responding to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.