Recently elected President George W. Bush of the United States made his first address to Congress this week. In his address the new President proposed to fully fund the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) food safety programs,to include funds to pay for 7,600 meat and poultry inspectors, according to White House budget documents. He also plans to prioritise USDA research to provide new emphasis on biotechnology and developing new agricultural products. The budget also aims to push the department's research programs to improve protection against emerging exotic plant and animal diseases as well as crop and animal pests. An overview of Bush's agriculture funding plan is available here.
