Durbin Meets With Agriculture Secretary Nominee to Discuss Illinois Priorities
DURBIN MEETS WITH AGRICULTURE SECRETARY NOMINEE TO DISCUSS ILLINOIS PRIORITIES
Ethanol, Food Safety Issues Top Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Agriculture Secretary-designate Mike Johanns to aid Midwestern farmers by promoting ethanol and biodiesel use nationwide. Durbin requested today's meeting with Governor Johanns to discuss renewable fuels and other agricultural issues important to Illinois farmers and for the state's economy.
"Illinois farm land is some of the most productive in the world. More than 76,000 farm families in our state produce crops and livestock that feed families around the globe," Durbin said. "It is vitally important to Illinoisans that the next Secretary of Agriculture be a strong advocate for rural America and for farmers. Governor Johanns has strong Midwestern roots and I'm confident he will be a strong leader for our nation's farmers."
During their meeting, Durbin noted that Illinois ranks second in the nation in corn production and is the nation's leading source of clean-burning ethanol. Because ethanol is so crucial to the state, it is important that the next Agriculture Secretary advance a renewable fuels initiative to increase the use of ethanol and biodiesel on our nation's highways. In the meeting, Johanns assured the Senator that he is a strong supporter of ethanol and pledged to work with Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on this issue.
Durbin also talked with Johanns about the effects of BSE ("mad cow disease") on America's meat industry and encouraged him to continue USDA's commitment to test as many of the nearly 500,000 cattle considered "high-risk" as possible.
"Animal testing, identification and surveillance are key to ensuring our nation's food supply is still the safest in the world," Durbin said. "I have urged Governor Johanns to continue USDA's testing of high-risk cattle for BSE and to implement a mandatory national animal identification system so BSE infections can be effectively traced back to their source if an incident occurs.
Durbin also expressed to Johanns his strong wish to see better coordination of USDA's food safety oversight with the Food and Drug Administration, EPA and the other agencies who are responsible for keeping our nation's food supply safe. He urged the Secretary-designate to end the current system of conflicting rules and regulations governing food safety and support a single food safety agency that would streamline regulations and better protect the public health.
"Mike Johanns is a man who grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa, went to college in Minnesota, and went on to be elected Governor of Nebraska," said Durbin. "He understands agriculture and he understands the Midwest. I look forward to working with Governor Johanns at the USDA."
http://durbin.senate.gov/releases.cfm