Ag Policy, Lecture 18

• Environmental Policy (Knutson Chapter 9) • Food Safety & Security (Knutson Chapter 10)• Food Assistance & Nutrition (Knutson Chapter 11)• Agricultural Policy Stakeholders (Knutson Chapter

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Environmental PolicyEnvironmental Policy

• What economic principle creates the policy motivation concerning environmental regulation?

Environmental PolicyEnvironmental PolicyGovernment ContributorsGovernment Contributors

• Development and Implementation• Congress

– Policy Development• Environmental Protection Agency (1972)

– Implementation– Writes Regulations & Rules

• State EPA’s– Enforcement– Handles Permits

• Cities– Zoning

• Courts also play a role in dispute settlement

Environmental Policy Environmental Policy ConceptsConcepts

• Pollution– Point Source vs. Non-Point Source

• Willingness to Pay for a Environment

Environmental Policy Environmental Policy IssuesIssues

• Water Quality• Air Quality• Global Warming• Policy Options

– Common Law– Proscribing vs. Prescribing– Practices vs. Performance– Cost Sharing (EQIP, CSP)– Cross-Compliance– Taxation– Right-to-farm laws

Who is responsible for Who is responsible for a food safety?a food safety?

• Buyer beware• Government• Food Supply Chain

Who is responsible for Who is responsible for a food safety?a food safety?

• FDA– Processed– Food service

• USDA• A number of other agencies

participate• Some have recommended a single

food agency (would agriculture support this idea?)

Protecting Food SafetyProtecting Food Safety

• Who’s job is it?– USDA – inspects red meats, poultry, and

processed eggs (1/4 of food) domestic• 8,000 inspectors

– FDA – inspects seafood, cooked, canned and baked products, whole eggs, produce and animal feed (3/4 of food) both domestic and imported. Also inspects animal feed and its label.• 1,550 inspectors

Protecting Food SafetyProtecting Food Safety

• USDA meat inspectors– Inspector on site during operating

hours at packing plants– 6,500 slaughter houses in the USA– Monitor meat for signs of fecal matter

and other problems– USDA can not force plant closure– But it can withhold USDA inspection

stamp– USDA can also remove inspectors

Hierarchy of ConcernsHierarchy of Concerns

• Matters of Life & Death

• Consumer’s Right to Know

Safety Concerns/Policy Safety Concerns/Policy StandardsStandards

• Naturally occurring substances– Buyer beware– Education– Labeling

• Health problems– Education– Labeling– Self-regulation

• Chemical residues and additives– Self-regulation– No significant risk – Negligible risk – Reasonable certainty of no harm

• Biosafety/Food-borne pathogens– Negligible risk – Reasonable certainty of no harm– Zero Tolerance

• Bio-Terrorism

Range of OptionsRange of Options

• How far should the government (society) go in assuring food safety

• What is the trade-off?

Pesticides and Food Additive Pesticides and Food Additive SafetySafety

• Delaney Clause (1958 Food Additives Amendment)– Zero tolerance– Proved unworkable due to technology

• Food Quality Protection Act of 1996– Reasonable certainty of no harm as the

standard for determining an acceptable level of risk

Animal ID and COOLAnimal ID and COOL

• National Animal Identification System– Tracking Animals– Controlling/Containing Disease

Outbreaks– Tracking ends at slaughter

• Country Of Origin Labeling – Tracing food products through retail– Most products will be exempt

Food Assistance and Food Assistance and Nutrition PolicyNutrition Policy

• Most severe hunger problems:– India, China, Southeast Asia and

much of Africa• Even affluent countries have

hunger problems• Hunger: Insufficient protein and

calorie intake to maintain normal growth, health, and body function.

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Factors Contributing to Factors Contributing to Hunger ProblemsHunger Problems

• Low Income• Income Distribution• Price of Food• Lack of Education• Poor Health• War

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Perspectives on Hunger Perspectives on Hunger InterventionIntervention

• Activist– Every human has a right to food that those

who are not suffering have an obligation to supply even if it means self sacrifice

• Adapter– World scarcity decisions must be made

balancing short and long-term needs• Acceptor

– Does not acknowledge there is a problem or need for intervention

– Any intervention will likely create bigger problem

Reducing World HungerReducing World Hunger

• Food Self-Sufficiency • Food Price Controls• Food Aid (short term)• Food Assistance (longer term,

programmatic)• Education• Health Care• Private Land Ownership• Infrastructure development• Research

U.S. Hunger & Nutrition U.S. Hunger & Nutrition PolicyPolicy

• U.S. total population 300 million • U.S. Hunger

– 36 million labeled Food Insecure– 9.6 million experienced hunger

U.S. Hunger & Nutrition U.S. Hunger & Nutrition Policy OptionsPolicy Options

• Food Assistance– Commodity Distribution– Food Stamps– Child Nutrition– Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)– Senior Nutrition

• Education– Dietary Guidelines– Labeling

• Can you answer these? – Who contributes to environmental policy, and what is the role of each?– What is the difference between point source and non-point source pollution?– How does income affect a countries attitudes toward environmental policies?– Can you describe the primary environmental issues and policy options?– Can you describe the primary food safety concerns and policy standards?– Explain the trade-offs associated with achieving extremely high levels of food

safety.– Explain how tolerance levels and technology have interacted over the years

to change the way we approach pesticide residue and other contamination levels in food products.

– What is the difference between the tracking of Animal ID and the traceability concept involved with COOL?

– Can you discuss the factors that contribute to the hunger problem?– Can you discuss the options to help reduce world hunger?– What are the positives and negatives of Food Aid?– Can you discuss the primary components of U.S. Hunger & Nutrition policy?– Can you analyze the position of the 5 key stakeholder groups relative to

various agricultural and food policies?

Lecture 18, Wrap up