Washington Insider-- Thursday

By DTN's Washington Insider

Here's a quick monitor of Washington farm and trade policy issues from DTN's well-placed observer.

Mexico Welcomes Administration's Plans to Alter Diplomatic Relations with Cuba

Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto is a fan of President Obama's plans to re-establish normal U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba. Speaking with reporters earlier this week following a meeting with Obama, Peña Nieto said that his country hopes to collaborate on the "very audacious" decision to reestablish U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba after decades of estrangement.

The United States wants to move towards a more constructive Cuba policy "but one that continues to emphasize human rights and democracy and political freedom," Obama said. He added that the United States plans to participate in the upcoming Summit of the Americas that will be hosted in Panama, but that the United States will insist that human rights topics be on the agenda. In past years, the United States opposed Cuba's participation in the Pan-American summit.

On another topic, Peña Nieto welcomed Obama's recent executive action on immigration, adding that "there's a very big majority of Mexican citizens" who will benefit by the action. However, now that Republicans control both houses of Congress, there is a question about whether the president's recent unilateral order involving immigrants will be permitted to stand.

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Biden to Work on Tax Overhaul with Senate Finance Committee

Vice President Joe Biden has been given the task of working with Congress on plans to overhaul the complex and arcane beast that is the U.S. tax code. Biden reportedly was invited to participate in tax reform discussions by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Finance Committee and a former colleague of the vice president's when both served on the Judiciary Committee.

"I'm sure he has to work within the framework of the White House and the leadership here," Hatch told reporters. "I just said, 'Let's do some good things together. We've got to get a tax bill.' He said okay."

President Obama has recommended that Republicans and Democrats first work on reforming the corporate tax structure before tackling the broader individual tax code. However, some observers believe that by bringing Biden into the discussions at an early point could set the stage for a push for more sweeping reform. In spite of his reputation for frequently sticking his foot in his mouth, Biden is known for his ability to negotiate complex issues. His participation in tax reform discussions therefore should provide a significant boost to their prospects.

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Washington Insider: Dietary Guidance and the Meat Industry

Last fall, the USDA-Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee wrapped up its last scheduled meeting before delivering its new report to its USDA and HHS sponsors. The two departments plan to release new guidelines later this year. The purpose of the twice-a-decade effort is to provide information for the public about healthy food choices.

Like most people, you probably haven't thought much about federal food guidelines, largely because which have no legal heft. And, the guidelines typically are not very controversial, although food and diet experts regularly express the view that these recommendations show too much influence of food industry heavyweights.

Well, that is unlikely to happen this time. The committee's sub-group charged with examining the issue of sustainability in general is telling Americans they should shift toward a plant-based diet, lower in dairy and red meat, and raising new environmental criteria as one basis for the recommended changes.

That draft recommendation now being discussed has raised a storm of complaints that the group has far exceeded its mission, and is far, far off base. However, Miriam Nelson who heads the sustainability subcommittee, has publicly re-emphasized the group's conclusion that there are positive links between plant-based diets and good health that also happen to have a lower environmental impact. She also seems to be hoping to head off criticisms from some groups that have accused the panel of recommending foods that could cost more for consumers. "Careful consideration needs to be done in this area," Nelson said.

Now, this hot public relations potato is in the laps of USDA and HHS, and it will be interesting to see what they — and the administration — decide to do about it. The two agencies will review the recommendations and have the final say on updated guidelines to be issued this year. So far, they are emphasizing that the recommendations are just that and do not have to be acted upon.

The dietary guidelines are issued every five years. Once they are complete, they will be reflected in the USDA's MyPlate icon, which replaced the famous food pyramid in 2011.

The current guidelines were updated in 2010 and ran into criticism then from some medical professionals who thought they detected undue influence of the meat and dairy industries. That fight involved some big names, such as Dr. Walter Willett, professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and chair of the Dept. of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Willett called the 2010 guidelines evidence of "the continued failure to highlight the need to cut back on red meat and limit most dairy products." At the time, he asked if it might "be time for the USDA to recuse itself because of conflicts of interest and get out of the business of dietary advice?"

In spite of the high profile of scientists like Drs. Willett and Nelson there is not much general agreement among scientists that the environmental footprint of beef production is as negative as the committee seems to be picturing it, or that beef is the health-threat that the committee seems to be suggesting. And, the introduction of a strong role for the concept of "sustainability" in dietary recommendations is increasingly seen to be a significant threat to the credibility of otherwise technical recommendations.

Still, "all proteins are not created equal when it comes to environmental and health impacts," Kari Hammerschlag, a senior program manager with Friends of the Earth, told the press. Actually, she is right, and beef has earned a strong reputation for its valuable contributions to global diets that Friends of the Earth and the Dietary Guidelines subcommittee seem willing to deny — but which are being emphasized by spokesmen for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and other producers.

Some members of Congress also say they disapprove. In fact, Congress last month directed USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack "to only include nutrition and dietary information, not extraneous factors in final guidelines."

In addition, the subcommittee, like many foodies, seems more interested in making food more of a costly cultural experience than they are in figuring how to provide better nutrition for the world's growing population. Sustainability is yet another popular but faddish concept with no reliable definition and it seems an increasingly shaky base for any effort to offer practical advice to the public, Washington Insider believes.

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(GH/CZ)

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