Congressional Research Service Reports - 205 Matching Results

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Potential Trade Implications of Restrictions on Antimicrobial Use in Animal Production

Description: This report is organized into three parts. First, it provides an overview of U.S. export markets for livestock and poultry products, and highlights key U.S. foreign trading partners. Second, it discusses policies in selected foreign markets that may restrict or limit the use of antimicrobial drugs in food animal production, including imports of animal products grown with these drugs. Third, it discusses some implications of these policies for U.S. livestock and poultry exports to selected forei… more
Date: December 8, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

A New Farm Program Option: Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE)

Description: Farm commodity programs over the decades have focused on protecting farmers against declines in farm prices and not declines in revenue (price times production). Traditional programs for field crops provide benefits to producers when farm prices drop below specified levels. This report discusses the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program which Congress included in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246) as a revenue based program option for farmers who enroll in trad… more
Date: December 10, 2010
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Actual Farm Bill Spending and Cost Estimates

Description: This report discusses the budget for the 2008 Farm Bill, and its reauthorization. Moreover, the report discusses the increasing level of demand for fiscal constraint and the current large budget deficits.
Date: December 13, 2010
Creator: Monke, Jim & Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: The combined efforts of the food industry and the regulatory agencies often are credited with making the U.S. food supply among the safest in the world. Nonetheless, many food-related health issues persist. At issue is whether the current U.S. regulatory system has the resources and structural organization to protect consumers from these dangers. Also at issue is whether the federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that h… more
Date: December 15, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Legislative Action

Description: In recent years, major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, product recalls, and reports about unsafe food imports have caused some to question the adequacy of the U.S. food safety system. Stakeholders appear to agree that an optimal system should encompass a comprehensive, preventive approach to food safety, focusing on those foods and points in the food system that pose the greatest public health risks, starting at the point of production - that is, on farms and ranches. This report discusses di… more
Date: December 15, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Generalized System of Preferences: Agricultural Imports

Description: The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) provides duty-free tariff treatment for certain products from designated developing countries. Some in Congress have continued to call for changes to the program that could limit GSP benefits to certain countries, among other changes. Opinion within the U.S. agriculture industry is mixed, reflecting both support for and opposition to the current program. In the past few years, Congress has extended GSP through a series of short-term extensions. Howeve… more
Date: January 3, 2011
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brazil's WTO Case Against the U.S. Cotton Program

Description: This report provides a description and status report on Brazil's challenge to certain aspects of the U.S. cotton program under the rules of the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) dispute settlement process in case DS267.1 The "Brazil cotton case" had its WTO origins in 2002 and has since evolved into a sprawling legal enterprise that is still ongoing as of early 2011.
Date: January 5, 2011
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation Through the 111th Congress

Description: This report discusses the use of biomass as an energy feedstock, which is emerging as a potentially viable alternative to address U.S. energy security concerns, foreign oil dependence, rural economic development, and diminishing sources of conventional energy. Biomass (organic matter that can be converted into energy) may include food crops, crops for energy (e.g., switchgrass or prairie perennials), crop residues, wood waste and byproducts, and animal manure. This report discusses legislation … more
Date: January 6, 2011
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi & Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF): Budget and Operations for FY2011

Description: This report provides an overview of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) budget and operations. This report chronicles congressional action on the FY2011 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies Appropriations bills, as well as any FY2010 supplemental appropriations bills, that provide funding for ATF.
Date: January 6, 2011
Creator: Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: Report concerning food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: January 11, 2011
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The World Trade Organization: The Non- Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) Negotiations

Description: This report looks at the evolution of the Doha Round World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, possible effects of the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) agreement, and major negotiating issues from a U.S. standpoint. NAMA refers to the cutting of tariff and non-tariff barriers (NTB) on industrial and primary products, basically all trade in goods which are not foodstuffs.
Date: January 11, 2011
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture in Pending U.S. Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea

Description: This report discusses pending U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. The bills to implement these agreements will now be debated under trade promotion authority, or fast-track rules, designed to expedite congressional consideration. The report includes an overview of agricultural issues regarding FTAs and pending FTA partners, as well as a closer breakdown of the specific issues for each of the countries.
Date: February 14, 2011
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Deregulating Genetically Engineered Alfalfa and Sugar Beets: Legal and Administrative Responses

Description: Monsanto Corporation, the developer of herbicide-tolerant varieties of genetically engineered alfalfa and sugar beet petitioned USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for the regulation of the items. Deregulation of genetically engineered plants is the final step in the commercialization process. Monsanto filed a petition for deregulation of its genetically engineered alfalfa in 2004, and for genetically engineered sugar beets in 2005.
Date: March 2, 2011
Creator: Cowen, Tadlock & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. and EU Agricultural Support: Overview and Comparison

Description: This report uses data from two public sources to compare agricultural support between the United States and the European Union (EU): (1) estimates of domestic support for agricultural programs based on World Trade Organization (WTO) notifications; and (2) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) country-level policy database. Each of these data sources uses a slightly different metric to evaluate agricultural support. The report includes an overview of farm programs… more
Date: March 21, 2011
Creator: Schnepf, Randy & Hanrahan, Charles E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Is Biopower Carbon Neutral?

Description: This report discusses some of the most relevant factors to take into account when considering whether or not biopower is carbon neutral. It does not discuss carbon accounting for other bioenergy pathways.
Date: March 24, 2011
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2011 Appropriations

Description: This report considers the Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The report compares and contrasts the Senate and House versions of the bill in terms of budgeting. Certain programs would receive 11 billion more than in FY2010.
Date: April 4, 2011
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP): Status and Issues

Description: The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246, 2008 farm bill) created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This report discusses the two main purposes of BCAP, which are (1) to support the establishment and production of eligible crops for conversion to bioenergy in selected areas, and (2) to assist agricultural and forest land owners and operators with collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion facility.
Date: April 19, 2011
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Japan's 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami: Food and Agriculture Implications

Description: The March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused widespread devastation that affected many of the country's agricultural and fishery areas. The nuclear crisis that followed at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, and the subsequent detection of radioactive contamination of food produced near the disabled facility, further raised fears about the safety of Japan's food production systems and its future food exports. Most reports acknowledge that Japan's current production and supply sho… more
Date: May 18, 2011
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Biotechnology: Background and Recent Issues

Description: This report discusses the ethical and political issues surrounding contemporary biotechnology. Driving the discussion are inventions such as genetically engineered (GE) crops, which have increased from 3.6 million acres to 143 million acres in the United States. The report also raises concerns about regulations and the adequacy of environmental assessments.
Date: June 18, 2011
Creator: Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brazil’s WTO Case Against the U.S. Cotton Program

Description: The so-called "Brazil cotton case" is a long-running World Trade Organization dispute settlement case initiated by Brazil - a major cotton export competitor - in 2002 against specific provisions of the U.S. cotton program. This report details the overview of the case, background on the U.S. cotton sector, Brazil's dispute settlement case against the U.S. cotton program, panel and appellate body recommendations, implementation of those recommendations, World Trade Organization compliance panel r… more
Date: June 21, 2011
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2012 Appropriations

Description: This report considers the Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The report compares and contrasts the Senate and House versions of the bill in terms of budgeting.
Date: August 11, 2011
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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