An amendment attacking the sugar loan program was withdrawn and was not part of the lengthy agriculture appropriations committee debate. Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Director Harrison Weber credits the sugar industry’s efforts to kill the amendment. Controversial issues, ranging from climate change to the future of commodity checkoff programs, were part of the discussion. Wyoming Representative Harriet Hageman offered an amendment to prevent USDA from implementing mandatory use of electronic identification ear tags. “This rule is problematic for many reasons including the fact that it sets a dangerous precedent by allowing a federal agency to dictate how our ranchers run their operations,” said Hageman. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson defended the animal ID programs. “Traceability resources really are incredibly important when dealing with an animal disease outbreak; we need to do our best to be prepared to deal with these otherwise it could compromise our ability to export overseas.”
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