Ridge says some parts of APHIS may be kept at USDA

White House Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge told about 40 agricultural lobbyists Tuesday at a White House meeting that the Bush administration would consider leaving some parts of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at the Agriculture Department rather than moving them to the proposed Homeland Security Department, according to agricultural lobbyists who were at the meeting.

But Agriculture Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bill Hawks, who oversees APHIS, also told the group there is strong sentiment to keep all divisions of APHIS together, the lobbyists said.

American Farm Bureau Federation lobbyist Mary Kay Thatcher said today she expects most agricultural groups "to jump on the opening" that Ridge gave them to keep some APHIS functions at USDA--because they are worried that APHIS' traditional domestic role in fighting animal and plant diseases could get a lower priority at the new department.

But lobbyists for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association put out a statement quoting Ridge as saying "that with the integrated nature of the agency and since a majority of the functions are important to homeland security, it made the most sense to propose that the entire agency be included in the new department."

Ridge's comments came as Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, prepares to hold a hearing Thursday on the proposal to move APHIS from the Agriculture Department to the proposed Homeland Security Department. State agriculture commissioners and farm groups questioned the movement of most of the agency's functions at a House Agriculture Committee hearing prior to the July Fourth recess.