[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 583 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 583

Expressing the sense of the House with respect to barriers between the 
 United States and Canada with regard to certain agriculture products.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 1998

 Mr. Smith of Oregon (for himself, Mr. Barrett of Nebraska, Mr. Thune, 
and Mr. Hill) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on 
Agriculture, for a period to subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House with respect to barriers between the 
 United States and Canada with regard to certain agriculture products.

Whereas the Canadian beef industry benefits from being able to freely market 
        slaughter cattle and beef in the United States through provisions 
        contained within the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, the North American 
        Free Trade Agreement, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
        (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as ``GATT'');
Whereas through these agreements the Canadian beef sector enjoys treatment that 
        provides its beef producers a comparative advantage when marketing its 
        product in the United States, including--
            (1) shipping ungraded beef carcasses from cattle slaughtered in 
        Canada to the United States for grading using USDA beef quality grade 
        markings, allowing the Canadian beef to be marketed in a manner 
        identical to United States product; and
            (2) shipping live cattle in sealed trucks for immediate slaughter in 
        United States plants, which allows Canadian beef producers to avoid the 
        costs of APHIS cattle health inspections and testing that would 
        otherwise apply. The beef from these cattle, once slaughtered in a 
        United States plan, is also assumed by United States consumers to be 
        United States beef;
Whereas Canadian beef producers are able to utilize the United States beef 
        marketing system virtually without restriction thereby enabling them to 
        redistribute their marketing resources in promoting Canadian beef 
        products in competitive foreign markets to the detriment of the United 
        States exporters;
Whereas United States cattlemen do not benefit from commensurate access or 
        treatment with respect to Canadian marketing opportunities;
Whereas the Canadian Wheat Board, a state trading enterprise, maintains a 
        monopoly on export trade in wheat and does not operate in a transparent 
        manner;
Whereas Canada has not agreed to terms of reference under which an audit of the 
        Canadian Wheat Board, as provided for in the North American Free Trade 
        Agreement (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as ``NAFTA''), may 
        go forwarded;
Whereas the practices of Canada in failing to expand market access have a long 
        term adverse impact on the domestic production of American agricultural 
        products; and
Whereas Canada has resisted efforts to expand market access for dairy, poultry, 
        and eggs, which it protects with limited minimum market access quotas 
        and prohibitively high tariffs, which for some products exceed 300 
        percent ad valorem: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter in this 
        resolution referred to as the ``Secretary'') should analyze 
        trade between the United States and Canada with regard to beef, 
        beef cattle, wheat, barley, dairy, poultry, and eggs and report 
        the findings to the Committee on Agriculture in the House of 
        Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
        and Forestry in the United States Senate;
            (2) the report of the Secretary should include a 
        description, status, and analysis (including apparent benefits 
        and limitations to farmers and ranchers of either country) of--
                    (A) the applicable general and specific provisions 
                of the GATT, CFTA, and NAFTA that facilitate or 
                restrict trade in these commodities and products 
                between the 2 countries; and
                    (B) past, present, and anticipated future actions 
                and negotiations to resolve trade concerns and 
                complaints by either country with respect to these 
                commodities and products; and
            (3) the Secretary should identify, analyze, and report on 
        the economic impact of trade agreements and other agreements 
        affecting trade between Canada and the United States on the 
        beef, wheat, and barley sectors of both countries, including--
                    (A) an aggregate and regional analysis of the 
                impact on the beef, wheat, and barley industries; and
                    (B) a comparative national and regional analysis of 
                the impacts on specific segments of the beef, wheat, 
                and barley industries;
            (4) the Secretary should analyze and report on 
        macroeconomic factors including currency exchange rates and 
        interest rates, which impact trade of agricultural commodities 
        between Canada and the United States;
            (5) based on the analyses described in this resolution, the 
        Secretary should identify any provisions of the agreements and 
        the implementation thereof that limit, inhibit, or otherwise 
        restrict the ability of the United States farmers and ranchers 
        to benefit from or mitigate the economic impact of trade 
        between the United States and Canada;
            (6) the Secretary should identify and analyze the long term 
        effect of the comparative advantage of Canadian agricultural 
        producers on the production and competitiveness of American 
        agricultural producers; and
            (7) the Secretary should identify and analyze the long term 
        effect of the lack of market access on the production and 
        competitiveness of American agricultural producers.
                                 <all>