BluePrint for Agriculture In 2001 Veneman released a blueprint for agriculture,
Food and Agricultural Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century.
Protection of agriculture and the food supply Within weeks after taking office, Veneman confronted the outbreak of
foot and mouth disease in Europe, prompting stronger sanitary and phytosanitary measures. After the
September 11, 2001 attacks, additional protections were implemented. She also oversaw responses to outbreaks of
avian influenza and
exotic Newcastle disease in poultry, both of which were quickly eradicated. The department confronted various food safety recalls, prompting Veneman to take several actions to strengthen USDA's regulatory oversight and protections. On December 23, 2003, Veneman announced the discovery of a single cow with
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, in Washington State. This would be the very first incident of mad cow disease in the United States. The cow was determined to be of Canadian origin. After taking initial steps in response, one week later, on December 30, 2003, Veneman announced additional protective measures to be put into place.These included a ban on "downer," or nonambulatory cattle, from the human food supply; additional food-safety measures in the processing of beef and related products; and an acceleration of "the development of the technology architecture" for a national system to track and identify livestock.
International trade Veneman was involved in eliminating trade barriers and creating export markets for U.S. farmers.
Child nutrition and food programs During Veneman's tenure, the
Food Stamp Program and child nutrition program were reauthorized and funding increased. In 2004, Veneman finalized the transition from paper food stamps to electronic debit cards in an effort to reduce fraud and increase availability of these programs to more families in need. Under Veneman, after a comprehensive scientific review, new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released, which formed the basis for USDA's
MyPyramid. As secretary, Veneman focused on new approaches to combat world hunger. To help meet the international goal of reducing global hunger by half by 2015, she organized and hosted in 2003 the Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology, which brought together ministers from 120 nations to California, to discuss how science and technology can reduce hunger and poverty in the developing world.
USDA Management and Programs As part of several actions to implement the President's Management Agenda (PMA), Veneman began USDA's e-Government Initiative, which made an unprecedented array of programs and services available electronically. In addition, USDA for the first time ever received a clean financial audit, a status the department attained three years in a row. Veneman established USDA's 'Leaders of Tomorrow' initiative to support agriculture education and related mentoring. She increased the number of internships available at USDA, and encouraged young people to seek career opportunities at USDA and across the food and agricultural spectrum. ==UNICEF Executive Director==