Senate confirms Schafer as agriculture secretary
Senate confirms Schafer as agriculture secretary
WASHINGTON -- While lawmakers continue to wrestle over the 2007 farm bill and the produce industry lies in wait, the Senate approved former North Dakota Gov. Edward Schafer to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The former two-term Republican governor was quickly and unanimously approved by the Senate, and hours later took his seat along side other Cabinet heads at the State of the Union speech Jan. 28 in Washington.
But the question remains what role the newly minted secretary will play in farm bill negotiations as Congress continues to hammer out a deal on a bill President Bush has threatened to veto.
"It is critical that USDA work with Congress to overcome the challenges in completing a new farm bill for the department to implement," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement. "Governor Schafer's leadership can help make this new farm bill a reality."
The United Fresh Produce Association said that it is ready to work with the new secretary to promote specialty crop programs at USDA.
"We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed a new secretary of agriculture," said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy at United, who said that the produce industry would be available to help show USDA the important role the department plays in critical government programs that enhance the competitiveness of our industry as well as help increase fresh produce consumption.
"Secretary Schafer's experience with grain and livestock import issues, and his understanding of the importance of home-grown fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol, are among his many strengths," American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said in a statement.
The bureau just passed a resolution at its annual meeting opposing short-term extensions to the farm bill and urging President Bush to sign the five-year bill when Congress approves it. Fruit and vegetable producers would not benefit from new funding in research, trade, nutrition and marketing until the current bill is signed by the president, according to the bureau's resolution.
In other news, the Food & Drug Administration unveiled a new plan to establish a presence in five regions around the world to have "boots on the ground" in Europe, Central America, South America, the Middle East and Asia, where FDA- regulated products are being shipped to the United States, FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said at a Jan. 24 press briefing.
FDA has come under fire from congressional critics for its record in policing imports, and now all eyes are on the Bush administration to see how much money FDA will be asking Congress to assign in the February budget to the new import reforms promised by the Cabinet-level import working group.
With FDA personnel in these regions, including China and India, agency staff would work collaboratively with partners, such as other governments and industry, to build capacity in good agricultural practices and good manufacturing practices, Mr. von Eschenbach said in a statement.
FDA inspectors and technical advisers could be housed in U.S. embassies, although the agency is still working out the details with the U.S. State Department, he added. There has been no word yet on funding for the new program.
The fiscal 2009 budget request, which goes to Congress in early February, may also map out FDA's plans to implement its Food Protection Plan, which called for new federal food-safety regulations for "high-risk foods." At the press briefing, an FDA official said that fresh produce would fit squarely into that category.
The former two-term Republican governor was quickly and unanimously approved by the Senate, and hours later took his seat along side other Cabinet heads at the State of the Union speech Jan. 28 in Washington.
But the question remains what role the newly minted secretary will play in farm bill negotiations as Congress continues to hammer out a deal on a bill President Bush has threatened to veto.
"It is critical that USDA work with Congress to overcome the challenges in completing a new farm bill for the department to implement," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement. "Governor Schafer's leadership can help make this new farm bill a reality."
The United Fresh Produce Association said that it is ready to work with the new secretary to promote specialty crop programs at USDA.
"We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed a new secretary of agriculture," said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy at United, who said that the produce industry would be available to help show USDA the important role the department plays in critical government programs that enhance the competitiveness of our industry as well as help increase fresh produce consumption.
"Secretary Schafer's experience with grain and livestock import issues, and his understanding of the importance of home-grown fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol, are among his many strengths," American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said in a statement.
The bureau just passed a resolution at its annual meeting opposing short-term extensions to the farm bill and urging President Bush to sign the five-year bill when Congress approves it. Fruit and vegetable producers would not benefit from new funding in research, trade, nutrition and marketing until the current bill is signed by the president, according to the bureau's resolution.
In other news, the Food & Drug Administration unveiled a new plan to establish a presence in five regions around the world to have "boots on the ground" in Europe, Central America, South America, the Middle East and Asia, where FDA- regulated products are being shipped to the United States, FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said at a Jan. 24 press briefing.
FDA has come under fire from congressional critics for its record in policing imports, and now all eyes are on the Bush administration to see how much money FDA will be asking Congress to assign in the February budget to the new import reforms promised by the Cabinet-level import working group.
With FDA personnel in these regions, including China and India, agency staff would work collaboratively with partners, such as other governments and industry, to build capacity in good agricultural practices and good manufacturing practices, Mr. von Eschenbach said in a statement.
FDA inspectors and technical advisers could be housed in U.S. embassies, although the agency is still working out the details with the U.S. State Department, he added. There has been no word yet on funding for the new program.
The fiscal 2009 budget request, which goes to Congress in early February, may also map out FDA's plans to implement its Food Protection Plan, which called for new federal food-safety regulations for "high-risk foods." At the press briefing, an FDA official said that fresh produce would fit squarely into that category.
