About Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 5, 2005

House Vote on CAFTA a Profound Disappointment to ICON

Hyannis, NE ~ The Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska fear that US sovereignty is forfeited by the recent passage of the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). The trade act was narrowly passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 27th by a vote 217-215.

All three members of Nebraska's House delegation supported the agreement despite intense opposition to CAFTA by Nebraska ranchers, farmers, and other agricultural groups. ICON President Chris Abbott of Gordon, was in Washington, DC for the vote, having spent the previous three days on Capitol Hill, lobbying House members to vote against the trade agreement.

"The passage of CAFTA will accelerate the concentration of our Nation's wealth into the hands of just a few," noted Abbott. "CAFTA has no safeguards or strong protections for workers’ rights. CAFTA gives multi-national companies a distinct advantage over domestic producers by shutting down plants in the US and moving those operations to countries with cheap labor. CAFTA is the wrong model for moving toward a fair trade environment among nations."

"The House leadership held the vote in the middle of the night, and violated their own rules by keeping the vote open for an hour while deals were made to garner votes. It was extremely disappointing to witness the politics involved in this process," said Abbott. "House members ignored the will of the people and I predict there will be consequences. Had the Nebraska delegation voted “No” on CAFTA, the agreement would have been sent back to the drawing board. That's how close the vote was."

In other cattle-producing states, Congressmen voting against CAFTA were: Cubin (WY), Herseth (SD), Pomeroy (ND), Rehberg (MT), Salazar (CO), Udall (CO), DeGette (CO), Tancredo (CO), Simpson (ID), and Otter (ID).

"In the end, CAFTA could not stand on its merits. As a result, the House leadership resorted to twisting arms and political deals to force through a trade agreement that 90% of the American population does not support. ICON supports fair trade agreements that put America's farmers, ranchers, and workers first. CAFTA, like NAFTA, does not," commented Abbott.

"CAFTA procurement rules prohibit all laws giving preference to domestic or local businesses," according to U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood. CAFTA Article 9 overturns every state and federal law that requires government agencies to buy American products or use American workforces. "CAFTA would immediately overturn all the hard work our state legislatures have done to support local businesses and jobs," said Norwood. "It would overrule all state and federal law on the issue, effectively destroying our sovereignty, and would block any action by the voters to correct this outrage."

Abbott worries about the long-term ramifications of CAFTA. "Serious sovereignty rights were forfeited when CAFTA was passed. We've handed our sovereignty to judges from Central America," said Abbott. “Is that what the American people want?"

"The way this agreement is written undermines the ability of US cattlemen to compete in today's marketplace because it doesn't allow us to differentiate our product from foreign imports," said Abbott. "If our competitors in Central America can produce cattle for one-third of our cost, then the only way we're going to be able to survive is through the introduction of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Big business and other cattle organizations have blocked that law by deleting funding for mandatory COOL." Abbott continued. "The grass roots cattleman supports COOL, despite what national organizations say, and our representatives need to recognize that there is a disconnect between what their members want and what their leadership says they want."

"While we are profoundly disappointed in the final outcome on CAFTA, I believe that we have made significant progress in moving the cause of Nebraska's independent producers forward."

INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
"Solid as a windmill. Always working for the independent producer."