Every fly-in is an investment in the rendering industry’s future. Each year, renderers visit about 100 congressional offices. Introductions are made, information is exchanged, and relationships developed between renderers and members and their staff that lasts beyond the single visit.
During the past five years, renderers have built a reservoir of good will with their respective representatives and senators. It wasn’t done with just one fly-in. It takes visits every year to establish and maintain the industry’s presence on Capitol Hill.
You might ask what is discussed at these meetings? There are a few rules. First, don’t plan on a long meeting. The members and their staff are busy; they will welcome you and treat you courteously but they have only so much time to see you so be organized with the issues to talk about. Try to keep the small talk to a minimum and the number of issues to discuss limited. You can always follow up with correspondence and background material.
At the NRA spring meeting, the issues to discuss with the members of Congress and their staff were identified. Among them were bioenergy, dead animal disposal, and trade.
The current state of fuel prices has Congress looking for ways to show the public it is attempting to reduce the economic impact on consumers, such as providing incentives for the production of renewable and alternative fuels. The current tax incentive for biodiesel is good only through 2008, but legislation has been introduced to extend this incentive through 2010. NRA will be expressing the industry’s support for this extension. Rendered products can also provide energy uses other than just for biodiesel and we will seek ways to be included in other programs that provide benefits to using these products. We anticipate the next Farm Bill to include an energy title so we will also be laying the groundwork to make lawmakers aware of the rendering industry’s contribution regarding energy.
Renderers also believe it is important to apprise members of Congress on the importance of proper and legal dead animal disposal. NRA has made some headway informing the regulatory agencies of the importance of proper disposal, particularly of fallen and diseased animals. The recently commissioned study by Informa Economics, “Economic Impacts of Proposed Changes to Livestock Feed Regulations,” has been a very useful tool in telling the industry’s story. We will have the study with us to leave with Congress.
Renderers can and will be expected to be part of any disposal plan for any animal disease epidemic. The current planning for a possible pandemic of avian influenza is a prime example. Renderers believe Congress and appropriate regulatory agencies must address the entire disposal issue.
Trade is an issue that always gets the attention of U.S. lawmakers. Just like the beef industry, the rendering industry lost its export markets when the first bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case in the United States was discovered in December 2003. While some markets have been regained, there are still major markets to recoup. It will be important to convey how significant the export market is to the industry. Admittedly, rendering is in the shadow of the beef industry when it comes to getting attention to reopen markets. However, NRA has been successful in letting key administration people know of our desire to get those export markets back. We plan to accomplish the same with Congress.
Many times, meetings start by acquainting people on the rendering industry. This sometimes really opens their eyes. Most of the people met for the first time have never heard of the rendering industry. When we get through explaining the industry and its benefits, they are usually favorably impressed.
After discussing our issues, they might have some of their own they want to talk about. We expect they might ask about BSE. We will be prepared to tell them of the high compliance rate by renderers with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) feed rule. We will let them know that renderers have been instrumental in the success of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s enhanced BSE surveillance program and that the majority of samples collected for the program have been from renderers. They will also be told the industry does not think the FDA needs to finalize their proposed rule.
Renderers who invest their time and money to participate in the fly-in should be thanked by the rest of the industry for the good they do for the whole industry. If you want to participate next year, please do so – the more the better.
From the Association - June 2006 Render