"While I don't want to see the wholesale slaughter of wildlife, I recognise that we cannot afford to sit back and ignore the very real threat posed by bovine TB to animal health and the farming industry, " he said.

BBC: A badger

Yet getting small firms to export more won't help the economy much in the near term, says Matthew Slaughter of Dartmouth College.

ECONOMIST: As Barack Obama embraces exports, trade friction looms

The president praised Slaughter for championing the bill, but noted she couldn't witness the signing in person because she had broken her leg.

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Although New York Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter introduced the legislation six years ago, it didn't have many supporters or much traction on Capitol Hill until a story that aired on CBS's "60 Minutes" in November.

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