Regulatory Policy
The trend toward fewer and larger enterprises has brought environmental
issues to the forefront of public policy regarding the U.S. livestock
industry. As animal density (number of animals per unit of land
area) increases, so do concerns regarding air and water quality,
occupational health, and waste management. The Environmental
Protection Agency posts information about the environmental requirements
for the production of livestock in Animal
Feeding Operations.
Any product that is used as an animal feed ingredient is regulated
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center
for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). CVM
works with State and local authorities to set regulatory standards
for feed ingredients. The agency also issues uniform feed-ingredient
definitions and feed-labeling standards to insure feed is safe.
Cattle are also affected by other
Government Policies and Programs related to animal health, food
safety, mandatory price reporting, and country-of-origin labeling.
Government Assistance Programs
Federal Government assistance to the cattle sector is limited to
emergency measures approved for a specific scope and period of
time to address the needs of producers suffering losses due to
drought, hot weather, disease, insect infestation, flood, fire,
hurricane, earthquake, severe storms, or other natural disasters. See the Disaster Assistance Programs section of USDA's Farm Service Agency web site for information on currently offered programs.
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