The 2012 farm bill passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee does not include a livestock title. However, there are a number of issues important to the livestock and poultry industries included in the bill. They include:
• Livestock Risk Management – Calls for a study on setting up catastrophic risk-management insurance for pork producers to cover input costs lost because of an animal disease or event that stops exports of U.S. pork
• Veterinary Services Grant Program – Authorizes a program to make competitive grants to qualified entities that carry out programs or activities described in paragraph 2 of the bill for the purpose of developing, implementing and sustaining veterinary services.
• Food Animal Residue Avoidance Program – Program authorized through 2017.
• Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research – Establishes a non-profit corporation known as the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, which shall not be an entity of the U.S. government. The foundation will award grants to agricultural research agencies in the Department of Agriculture, university consortia, public-private partnerships, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations and industry to efficiently and effectively advance the goals and priorities of the foundation. The foundation is funded with $100 million of mandatory funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to be available until expended. Awards must be matched with non-federal funds.
• Wildlife Reservoir Zoonotic Disease Initiative – Establishes a wildlife reservoir zoonotic disease initiative to provide assistance through Coordinated Agricultural Project grants for research and development of surveillance methods, vaccinations, vaccination delivery systems or diagnostic tests for covered diseases. Priority diseases include brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis. The program is authorized at $7 million per year through 2017.
• Trichinae Certification Program – Extends authorization of the Trichinae Certification Program through 2017.
• Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program – Establishes within the Agricultural Marketing Service a competitive grant program for the purposes of improving the United States sheep industry. The purpose of the grant program shall be to strengthen and enhance the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products, including improvement of infrastructure, business, resource development and innovative approaches to solve long-term needs. The program is authorized at $3 million per year through 2017.
• Feral Swine Eradication Pilot Program – Establishes a program to study and assess the nature and extent of damage to the pilot program area caused by feral swine; to develop methods to eradicate or control feral swine in the pilot area; and to develop methods to restore damage caused by feral swine. The program is authorized at $2 million per year through 2017.
• Market Access Program – Funds the Market Access Program at $200 million per year through 2017.
• Foreign Market Development Program – Funds the program at $34.5 million per year through 2017.