CHAPTER 188
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 1616
A Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to remove or restrict
the use of trade sanc-
tions as they apply to agricultural products, and to work for the
reduction or elimination
of trade barriers and sanctions imposed by other countries against
agricultural products;
urging the secretary of the United States department of agriculture
to provide greater
opportunities to the farmers of the United States by taking greater
advantage of the
export enhancement program; urging Congress to require country of
origin labeling on
foreign meat and dairy products raised and produced in other
countries; urging Congress
to investigate the need for mandatory price reporting by packers in
the livestock industry;
and urging Congress, the justice department and the packers and
stockyard division of
the United States department of agriculture to investigate market
concentration and
pending mergers in the livestock and grain
industry.
WHEREAS, Economic sanctions hinder the export
of agricultural
products, exacerbating the transportation of such products and
possibly
lowering the price received by the Kansas farmer for such
agricultural
products; and
WHEREAS, The export of agricultural
commodities has provided the
United States the only positive return on its balance of trade;
and
WHEREAS, The only way to ensure that a
positive return on the bal-
ance of trade continues is to allow international markets to remain
open;
and
WHEREAS, The use of unilateral economic
sanctions rarely achieves
its goal, but cause substantial harm to the producers of products;
and
WHEREAS, Not only do the sanctions imposed by
the United States
cause lost market opportunities for the Kansas farmer, but so do
the unfair
trade barriers and sanctions imposed on agricultural products by
other
countries; and
WHEREAS, The storage of grain on the ground in
Kansas is just one
example of the adverse affects sanctions have on agricultural
products:
NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the State
of Kansas, the House of Rep-
resentatives concurring therein: That Congress remove or
restrict the use
of trade sanctions as they apply to agricultural products and that
Congress
ensure that the use of trade sanctions will result in meaningful
results;
WHEREAS, The export enhancement program is one
tool which can
expand foreign market opportunities; and
WHEREAS, If the Kansas farmer is to have the
opportunity to prosper
and grow, the agricultural products produced by the farmer must be
able
to reach foreign markets; and
WHEREAS, The stockpiling of grain is just one
example of where the
lack of access to foreign markets hurts not only the Kansas farmer
but all
American farmers and the economy of the United States in
general:
NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved: That the secretary of
the United States department of
agriculture is urged to take greater advantage of the export
enhancement
program; and
Be it further resolved: That Congress
work for the reduction and elim-
ination of trade barriers and sanctions imposed by other countries
against
agricultural products; and
WHEREAS, Foreign meat and dairy products must
be raised or pro-
duced under the same regulatory standards to ensure consumer
health
and safety as meat and dairy products raised and produced in the
United
States; and
WHEREAS, Numerous cattle producers have
testified before the Kan-
sas Legislature that this issue needs to be investigated and
decided in
Congress: NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved: That Congress pass laws
that require country of origin
labeling on foreign meat and dairy products with such labeling on
the
final consumer product; and
WHEREAS, Pork and beef associations presented
resolutions and tes-
timony on the need and value of mandatory price reporting; and
WHEREAS, Discriminatory pricing and
retaliatory actions are unac-
ceptable in an open market system; and
WHEREAS, Pork and beef associations also
support a marketing sys-
tem free from unnecessary government regulations; and
WHEREAS, Producers should consider
participating in marketing al-
liances, cooperatives and other innovative methods of marketing
livestock
in order to focus on changing consumer demands and to regain
market
share; and
WHEREAS, Pork and beef associations
support a system free of gov-
ernment restrictions on livestock ownership, unless such livestock
own-
ership restricts free and competitive markets or is a violation of
antitrust
laws: NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved: That Congress continue
to investigate mandatory price
reporting in the livestock industry and, if warranted, pass
appropriate
legislation that will assure a free and open market for our
independent
farmers and ranchers; and
WHEREAS, Concentration of segments of the beef
and pork indus-
tries is occurring; and
WHEREAS, Such concentration must not result in
lower commodity
prices for Kansas farmers and ranchers and higher food prices for
Amer-
ican consumers; and
WHEREAS, Pending mergers of grain companies
could result in dis-
proportionate control of the grain market; and
WHEREAS, Renewed investigative efforts,
including enforcement of
the antitrust laws, must be generated by the justice department and
the
packers and stockyards division of the United States department of
ag-
riculture to ensure the competitive market structure: NOW,
THERE-
FORE,
Be it resolved: That the justice
department and the packers and stock-
yard division of the United States department of agriculture
enforce the
antitrust laws in the livestock and grain industry; and
Be it further resolved: That the
Secretary of State be directed to send
enrolled copies of this resolution to the President of the United
States,
the Vice-President of the United States, Majority Leader and
Minority
Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker, Majority Leader
and
Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the
Sec-
retary of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Attorney
Gen-
eral of the United States and to each member of the Kansas
Congressional
Delegation.
Adopted by the House April 10, 1999.
Adopted by the Senate
April 10, 1999.
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