Cattle Raisers Government Affairs Roundup: Harvey media and transportation rules

As a function of TSCRA’s commitment to representing ranchers and landowners in Texas and across the Southwest, our governmental and public affairs office is hard at work tackling the issues important to the beef industry. This week staff focused on more Harvey media coverage and concerns regarding the implementation of electronic logging device (ELD) enforcement for livestock haulers.
This week:
TSCRA public affairs staff continued working with multiple media outlets to respond to Hurricane Harvey inquires and distribute vital information on relief efforts and resources. Government affairs staff is also helping to coordinate hurricane response efforts with government agencies and officials.
TSCRA also this week signed on to a letter to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. In the letter, TSCRA joins with 66 allied industry groups to support language in the in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Related Agencies Act of 2018 that would delay the implementation of electronic logging device (ELD) enforcement for livestock haulers for one year. The letter states, in part:
“The transportation of live animals presents unique welfare challenges to the commercial trucking industry and a one-size-fits-all approach simply will not work. … The current HOS (Hours of Service) rules put animals at risk of higher incidence of stress-induced disease and mortality. To maintain animal welfare and preserve driver safety, industry needs more time to address the current HOS rules and work collaboratively with enforcement agencies to craft solutions to the problem.”