Johanns first nominee out of committee

WASHINGTON - Agriculture Secretary-nominee Mike Johanns on Thursday became the first of President Bush's second-term Cabinet choices to win approval from a Senate committee after facing pointed questions about the administration's decision to reopen U.S. borders to Canadian cattle.

The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously approved the Nebraska governor's nomination after a three-hour hearing. "I will always be a farmer's son with an intense passion for agriculture," said Johanns, whose father was an Iowa dairy farmer.

Johanns still needs confirmation by the full Senate before taking over for Ann Veneman at the Agriculture Department. The full Senate is expected to vote on the matter Jan. 20.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., asked Johanns to reconsider the administration's decision to lift a ban on Canadian cattle imports in March despite a fresh case of mad cow disease in Alberta.

"I am far from convinced that Canada is effectively enforcing its own regulations," Conrad said. Johanns was noncommittal but promised to testify later before the Senate committee on the issue.

"My hope is that we can work with you to bring whatever information you need, bring the people in who have been part of the process and literally try to answer any questions that you have," he said. "I'm going to be as helpful as I can."

Senators from both parties were frustrated about the ban on U.S. beef in Japan, previously the industry's biggest customer. U.S. beef was banned around the world in December 2003 after a dairy cow in Washington state tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly called mad cow disease. People who eat tainted meat can contract a fatal brain disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

"This is priority No. 1," Johanns said. "Reopening (trade) with Japan is in my judgment something that needs to occupy my personal time and effort," he said.

Johanns also said he would consider relaxing a ban, imposed after the U.S. mad cow case, on consumption of cows too sick to stand or walk on their own. Cattle groups want the ban applied just to diseased cows and say injured ones pose no health risk.

"There's a point probably throughout this year where we'll take a look at that testing," Johanns said. "The one thing we will have available with this testing is a body of information that was simply not available a year ago."

Johanns also supports the administration's desire to repeal country-of-origin labeling.

"You know the administration's position has been one of a voluntary approach, and as secretary, I would adopt the administration's position," Johanns said. "I also recognize the law has been passed, and I want you to understand if that's the law, that's what I'll be working with."