National Pork Producers Council - NPPC

A Trade Win for Beef and Pork: U.S. and Taiwan Sign Agreement on Reciprocal Trade

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:31:22 GMT

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the signing of an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade between the United States and Taiwan that includes significant market access gains for U.S. red meat.

“The Agreement on Reciprocal Trade with Taiwan will eliminate tariff and nontariff barriers facing U.S. exports to Taiwan, furthering opportunities for American farmers, ranchers, fishermen, workers, small businesses and manufacturers,” Ambassador Jamieson Greer said . “This agreement also builds on our longstanding economic and trade relationship with Taiwan and will significantly enhance the resilience of our supply chains, particularly in high-technology sectors.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins praised the agreement on X, saying this will open up real markets and boost opportunities for rural communities.

New trade deal with our partner, Taiwan!
🇺🇸🤝🇹🇼

THANK YOU @POTUS and @USTradeRep. Under the new U.S.–Taiwan Reciprocal Trade Agreement, Taiwan is cutting or eliminating tariffs on nearly all U.S. agricultural exports — from animal protein like beef, pork, and dairy to corn,… https://t.co/44xmlzP04o
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) February 13, 2026

U.S. Beef’s Potential to Grow Export Opportunities
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) says this will strengthen one of the most important and fastest-growing markets for U.S. beef. Taiwan is the fifth largest market for U.S. beef, with exports valued at about $650 million, and the U.S. is the largest supplier of beef to Taiwan.

“There is still potential for further growth with the increased access for all U.S. beef products, including those in high demand for yakiniku barbecue and trendy burger concepts,” U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said. “The elimination of tariffs on U.S. beef will definitely improve our competitiveness.”

Foreign markets play a critical role in producer profitability with beef exports accounting for more than $415 per fed cattle processed in 2024, NCBA President Gene Copenhaver explained.

“Strong, science-based trade agreements are essential to adding value for U.S. cattle producers, and Taiwan has emerged as one of the strongest international markets for U.S. beef,” Copenhaver said. “Duty-free access improves competitiveness and provides long-term certainty for producers who depend on export markets to maximize the value of every animal. American cattle producers look forward to this expanded market access for years to come thanks to the work of President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer.”

Securing Greater Market Access for U.S. Pork
It’s also a step forward for the U.S. pork industry as U.S. pork has been “widely disadvantaged in Taiwan,” USMEF said. The EU and Canada currently dominate Taiwan’s pork imports.

“USMEF is optimistic that reducing both tariffs and nontariff barriers will help enable larger U.S. pork exports to Taiwan, as USMEF remains focused on regaining Taiwanese consumer trust in U.S. pork,” USMEF said.

Organizations say this trade deal reinforces science-based standards consistent with the World Organization for Animal Health and Codex Alimentarius.

“I would like to thank President Trump and Ambassadors Greer and Callahan for their hard work,” said Lori Stevermer, a Minnesota pig farmer. “This agreement stands to boost U.S. pork exports by cutting tariffs in half. It also requires Taiwan to follow maximum residue levels (MRLs) set by Codex for ractopamine in pork fat, kidney, liver and muscle. While not always as obvious as a tariff reduction, by accepting USDA FSIS inspections, audits and export certificates, this agreement reduces the nontariff barriers we face and allows opportunities for more plants to export pork. Overall, U.S. pig farmers will have greater market access to a country that loves pork and that’s good for our farms and businesses.”

Additionally, within six months Taiwan must recognize the African swine fever protection zone established by the U.S.

“Our 15-plus year endeavor to break down trade barriers in the high-value market of Taiwan has paid off,” said NPPC president Duane Stateler, an Ohio pork producer. “This means more U.S. pork on international tables and more opportunities and prosperity for American producers.”

Read the Fact Sheet on U.S.-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade

MAHA Strategy Elevates Role of Meat in Science-Based Nutrition

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:53:23 GMT

The Department of Health and Human Services released its strategy to address children’s health from its Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission on Tuesday.

This is the second installment of the MAHA report – a highly anticipated follow-up to the report released by the Commission in May. Many farm organizations had said the original document was filled with “fear-based rather than science-based information.”

The latest report offers more than 120 initiatives that will serve as a road map to help address and resolve what Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described as “America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases.”

Meat is Essential
Meat Institute president and CEO Julie Anna Potts says it’s a good first step toward recognizing the nutritional value of meat and poultry after years of misguided policies attacking meat consumption.

“Science proves what American parents have known all along — nutrient-dense meat and poultry products are essential to a balanced diet,” Potts says. “For years, previous administrations have tried to discourage consumption of meat, primarily for reasons unrelated to nutrition, and as a result our most vulnerable populations – children, adolescent girls, nursing mothers and seniors – no longer consume enough protein and critical nutrients like iron and zinc.”

Chaired by Kennedy Jr., the Commission is tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases. The strategy targets actions to advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness, and strengthen private-sector collaboration.

“The bold leadership of Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Rollins will finally give Americans not only permission, but the encouragement to eat meat because it is a good, accessible source of nutrition for their families,” Potts says.

Animal Protein Industry Responds
The Meat Institute, which includes meat packer and processor members of all sizes, large and small, were especially pleased to see the strategy seeks to support adoption of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety protocols.

“It is great to see the coordination between Health and Human Services and the USDA on food safety,” Potts says. “The support for HACCP in the strategy is in addition to the significant food safety investment made by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in July. We are so glad the Trump Administration continues to encourage greater adoption of this successful science-based program to enable the industry to better protect consumers.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president and cattle producer Buck Wehrbein says American beef is the perfect fit for the MAHA Commission’s goals.

“Our farmers and ranchers raise the best beef in the world, providing a healthy, fresh protein option to millions of families every day,” Wehrbein says. “We responsibly steward millions of acres of land, water and wildlife habitat, including some of America’s most cherished landscapes and species. We pump lifeblood into the local economies of tens of thousands of communities across the rural American heartland.”

NCBA adds that years of peer-reviewed research, including clinical trials, have proven that beef plays a key role in a healthy, balanced diet for Americans of all ages. A single 3-ounce serving of lean beef provides half of Americans’ daily protein needs with 10 essential nutrients, in fewer than 170 calories.

“To receive the same amount of protein from most plant sources, you would have to eat at least twice as many calories,” NCBA explains. “The nutrients in beef, including protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins, are critical for strengthening muscle, fueling a healthy metabolism, supporting cognitive development, and ensuring healthy living.”

While a balanced diet is essential, numerous studies have shown the quality of protein from animal-based sources far exceeds that found in plant-based foods, Ashley Johnson, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) director of food policy, explained in July . Lean pork is a heart-healthy protein choice that is versatile, flavorful, affordable, and is protein-packed with essential nutrients.

“Science demonstrates that animal protein provides a complete amino acid profile, including readily absorbable forms of iron and B12, key nutrients that plant-based alternatives lack,” Johnson wrote. “Removing animal proteins from our diet would result in a nutritional gap that plant-based foods cannot fill.”

More Work to Do
NPPC president Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio, agrees this report shows signs of progress from the initial “Make America Healthy Again” report released in May.

“While agriculture’s voice was widely unheard in the initial MAHA report, we thank the administration for listening to our concerns before releasing the ‘Make Our Children Healthy Again’ strategy. We all want to help our children be healthy, yet there is still more work and understanding for this goal to best be accomplished,” Stateler says.

The strategy incorporates a range of initiatives that risk stigmatizing modern farming while deviating from President Trump’s directives related to food security, safety and affordability, NPPC explains in a release. The regulatory expansion outlined in the report could lead to increased litigation against American businesses, including food and agriculture.

“America’s pork producers need the administration’s continued partnership and receptiveness to agriculture and food industry education,” Stateler says.

NPPC’s recommendations to the MAHA Commission leading up to the strategy’s release included:

A fair and workable definition for “ultra-processed food”
Protection of the use of food additives that enhance food safety, shelf life, and nutritional availability
Exclusion of animal feed from reforms to the “generally recognized as safe” standard, to protect animal health
Adoption of a risk-based approach – versus hazard-based – for determining the safety of technologies used in food production

When the initial MAHA Commission report was released in May, NPPC warned against the dangerous language used to describe the work of farmers feeding our nation, and NPPC has offered to partner in transparent, risk-based research to further public health.

Breaking News: EPA Backs Existing Wastewater Regulations, Prevents Catastrophe for Processors and Producers

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:46:00 GMT

The longstanding Meat and Poultry (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards will stand, announced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on Aug. 30. He says the proposed changes to the regulation are unnecessary.

EPA determined existing federal wastewater regulations under the Clean Water Act are effective and the burdens proposed changes would inflict on meat and poultry processors are unwarranted.

“The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauds the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking a common sense approach on the Meat & Poultry Processing Rule,” says Duane Stateler, NPPC president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “As proposed by the previous administration, this rule—which provides no environmental benefits—would have been devastating to small- and medium-sized meat processors across the country and the livestock farmers who rely on them as markets for their animals.”

EPA’s action will save not only the nearly 100 local meat processors that EPA itself identified would have to close down but also the thousands of family farmers who rely on them to stay in livestock production, Stateler points out.

“It will help ensure affordable, nutritious American-grown pork can continue to be served on dinner tables across the country,” Stateler says.

Moving Forward
The decision closes the book on a nearly two-year comment and consideration process in which NPPC and other stakeholders have worked with EPA to better inform the agency’s decision and preempt unnecessary harm.

“Under the prior proposal, if it were finalized, major pork processors would have faced significant costs to install new waste water management systems,” explains Michael Formica, NPPC chief legal strategist. “During that period of construction, some plants would likely have needed to temporarily shut down. Others might have had to cut back on how many shifts they run.”

EPA’s internal analysis showed that dozens of facilities, likely small and medium-sized, would be forced to shut down because they would be unable to afford the cost of the technology required to comply, Formica says. Overall, the industry would have realized additional costs estimated at greater than $1 billion a year.

“Producers who rely on those processors would have then been without a market for their livestock,” Formica adds.

Unnecessary Expansions
The Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines and Standards was enacted in 1974 by the EPA and amended in 2004 to cover wastewater directly discharged by processing facilities. NPPC says the proposed amendment would have established more stringent technological requirements for controlling discharges from processors and significantly increased the scope of plants that were covered by the rules.

While the agricultural industry and the meat and poultry processing sectors support clean water efforts, EPA found these expansions were unnecessary.

NPPC says it appreciates EPA taking no action on the proposal, which would have disrupted packing capacity and livestock markets, in turn inflicting additional financial harm on producers and leading to further industry concentration and the loss of independent farmers.

The Meat Institute says the proposed rule would have also harmed the relationship between meat and poultry processing (MPP) facilities and publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs).

“Indirect discharging MPP facilities often make significant financial investments in maintaining and upgrading the POTW or shouldering major surcharges for the POTW’s continued operation and maintenance, which reduce public treatment costs for residential ratepayers and improve the quality of local and downstream waters,” the Meat Institute wrote in a statement.

Ag Groups Applaud Nomination of Julie Callahan as USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 01:15:52 GMT

President Donald Trump nominated Julie Callahan on July 17 to be the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), a move celebrated by many agricultural organizations.

The USTR chief agricultural negotiator plays a critical role, representing the interests of America’s farmers and ranchers and the U.S. government in trade talks with foreign nations, working to reduce trade barriers, opening new markets, and eliminating unfair trade practices.

“America’s pork producers congratulate and look forward to continuing to engage with U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator nominee Julie Callahan,” says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) CEO Bryan Humphreys. “Exceptionally familiar with agriculture and science-based standards, Julie has also been actively engaged with trade negotiations in the Trump administration and is in a unique position to advocate for U.S. agriculture on the world’s stage.”

Callahan has experience working in the trenches at USTR negotiating on behalf of U.S. agriculture. She currently serves as the assistant U.S. trade representative for agricultural affairs and commodity policy.

“At this especially critical time for agricultural trade, President Trump has tapped a proven leader who is a tireless advocate for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and all of U.S. agriculture,” says Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation president and CEO.”

He highlights her knowledge, experience and dedication to this position.

“She will explore creative solutions to expand market access for meat and poultry and we also look forward to working with her in removing non-tariff barriers to trade,” says Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute. “We urge her swift confirmation in the Senate.”

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says Callahan understands how important international partnerships are to agriculture and the critical role of strong export markets to strengthen the U.S. farm economy.

“As someone who has come through the ranks and worked directly on trade agreements, including reducing both technical barriers and tariffs, Julie will hit the ground running,” Duvall says. “Her previous experience in the Foreign Ag Service at USDA and also at FDA provide important perspective to inform her work to help resolve challenging issues on the trade front.”

The nomination comes about a week after 42 agricultural organizations sent a letter to President Trump encouraging him to move quickly on nominating someone for the role.

“Corn grower leaders have been very vocal in recent weeks about the need to fill this important position, as the chief ag negotiator plays a critical role in prioritizing agriculture issues in ongoing trade negotiations,” says Illinois corn grower and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We are thrilled to see the president listened and chose someone of this caliber to represent the interests of America’s farmers.”

With nearly 20 years of experience working on international issues and trade at a variety of agencies, including USTR, the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA, Callahan’s experience will help American agriculture given ongoing reciprocal trade negotiations, NPPC shared.

It's Time For Transparency and Scientific Integrity in the Dietary Guidelines, Marshall Says

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:52:27 GMT

Despite decades of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) is concerned why “U.S. citizens have only become sicker and more obese, while taxpayer dollars continue to fund this chaotic and broken process,” he said in a release.

Marshall and Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) have introduced the Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025, legislation that will amend the National Nutrition Monitoring & Related Research Act of 1990 and aims to modernize the development of federal dietary guidelines with up-to-date, evidence-based nutritional information.

“The Dietary Guidelines Reform Act brings much-needed transparency and scientific integrity to the dietary guidelines process, restores public trust, and aims for healthier outcomes by ensuring the recommendations truly serve the American people,” Marshall said in a release.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans — which inform all federal nutrition programs, including school breakfast and lunch, and provide dietary recommendations used by health professionals — are updated every five years by the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services based on recommendations from an advisory committee.

Among its recommendations for the 2025 guidelines, the advisory committee said Americans should reduce and replace red meat with plant-based proteins.

Jackson introduced the House companion version of the bill.

“The Biden administration has weaponized the dietary guidelines to push a partisan agenda instead of sound nutritional science,” Jackson said in a release. “My bill will ensure these dietary guidelines are based on transparent, evidence-based research — not political ideologies — so Americans can trust they are getting real, science-backed recommendations that support their health and well-being.”

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) opposes the advisory committee’s recommendation on meat, noting in Capital Update that “[t]here has been no scientific justification for reducing red meat and replacing it with plant-based proteins. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans need to reflect nutrition science and continue to recommend animal-based protein such as red meat as a critical part of the American diet.”

NPPC added that it will work with the Trump administration to ensure the Dietary Guidelines best serve the health and nutrition interests of the American public.

“One of our roles at NPPC is to work on the dietary guidelines and provide feedback to those decision-makers on why pork needs to stay on the plate,” NPPC past president Lori Stevermer said at the National Pork Industry Forum. “I would say, certainly with the discussion on health and the focus on protein in diets, pork fits very well in the guidelines. We’re going to continue to make sure, through that work with the dietary guidelines, that the pork is part of everybody’s plate.”

Your Next Read: Reducing Red Meat in Favor of Plant-Based Proteins Raises Nutritional Concerns

What The Trump Administration's Mass Deportation Plans Could Mean for Agriculture

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:39:38 GMT

Farmers and food industry leaders are warning that President-elect Donad Trump’s plans to deport millions of immigrants could devastate agriculture — an industry in which immigrants make up a good chunk of the workforce.

Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.

“Admittedly, there are some people who slip through,” says Scott VanderWal, vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Perspective employers are required to take documentation that appears to be legal and valid. There are times when that’s not the case and then ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] comes in and cleans house, the workers disappear and go wherever they take them and the employers are left without help.”

While the H-2A visa program has grown, it only covers seasonal work and cannot replace year-round jobs at meat processing plants and on dairy and pork farms.

“Our packing plants need labor. Many of our farms use temporary visa labor — educated, skilled individuals work on our sow farms,” says Lori Stevemer, president of the National Pork Producers Council. “We have been experiencing an increased number of denials over the past year, which really makes it a challenge to find workers. The H-2A visa doesn’t work well when we have animals that need care 24/7, year-round.”

Experts say mass deportations would disrupt food production, raise prices and jeopardize the stability of U.S. agriculture.

Deportation falls under the Department of Homeland Security. President-elect Trump has selected South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to lead that agency.

“With Governor Noem at the helm, she’s going to bring common sense to that discussion and make sure we don’t close businesses, make sure we get everyone in line, get the workforce in line and then make sure we’re following our country’s rules,” says Hunter Roberts, secretary of South Dakota’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, farm groups continue to urge for reforms to immigration policies or a guest worker program to secure a stable workforce.

“At the same time as controlling the border, we need to overhaul our labor system,” VanderWal says. “We need to make H-2A apply to your own workers or come up with a decent program that will help.”

We need some type of H-2A visa reform to allow those workers to stay year-round, Stevemer adds.

Even then immigration is likely to continue to be a political hot potato in 2025, and labor shortages will continue to top the list of challenges for agriculture.

Denver Voters Reject Slaughterhouse Ban: Win for Animal Ag

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 13:50:56 GMT

Denver residents rejected Ordinance 309 to ban slaughterhouses in the city. Denver, a hub of lamb processing for the state and nation, represents 15% to 20% of U.S. lamb harvest capacity. It also provides many jobs in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

“Activists from New Orleans and California used dark money from out of state to try and shut down this local company, but they lost to Colorado workers, farmers, ranchers and restaurateurs,” Ian Silverii, campaign spokesperson for “Stop the Ban. Protect Jobs,” said in a statement. “We have one message for those who tried to cone to our city and our state to run their experiment to upend the lives of so many hardworking people: it was a baaaaaaaad idea.”

According to the Denver Post , at 11:30 pm, 64.6% opposed the slaughterhouse ban, with very little change in the split for and against throughout the evening.

Opponents of the ban declared victory Tuesday night and Pro-Animal Future, which put the question on the ballot, issued a statement appearing to concede on both measures, the article said.

“This was a bold campaign, and no one said changing the status quo was going to be easy,” Pro-Animal Future spokesperson Olivia Hammond said in a statement. “Over a hundred thousand meat eaters voted for a world without slaughterhouses, and that’s a foundation we’ll continue building on. Voters aren’t used to seeing animal rights on the ballot, and we are paving the way with this campaign.”

The measure titled “Prohibition of Slaughterhouses” tried to outlaw “the construction, maintenance, or use of” any meat processing facilities in Denver beginning Jan. 1, 2026, as well as “require the city to prioritize residents whose employment is affected by the ordinance in workforce training or employment assistance programs.”

This ban put 160 jobs at stake and according to one study, at least $215 million in economic benefits, which could be as high as $860 million, counting indirect factors. In addition, the ban also threatened more than 2,700 jobs including independent ranchers, truckers, distributors, retailers, butchers and restaurant owners and employees, according to a Colorado State University study .

“Stop the Ban, Protect Jobs” raised money from an array of donors including Superior Farms, the American Sheep Industry Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Visit Denver, the Colorado Livestock Association, United Food & Commercial Workers International, Concience Bay Research, LLC, Political Action Trust, and the Colorado Livestock Association.

Voters also rejected Ordinance 308, which would ban the manufacture, distribution, display, sale or trade of certain animal products within Denver city limits, with limited exceptions, such as for Native American cultural uses or for cow leather. Had the ordinance passed it could have affected sales of cowboy and other hats made of beaver, rabbit or hare hides, as well as fly-fishing lures that include animal fibers. The Denver Post reported the ordinance reported nearly 58% of voters opposed the fur ban.

Your Next Read: Buoyed by Stronger Support from Rural America than 2016, Trump Wins Second Term as President

Don’t Ignore Denver: Prohibition of Slaughterhouses Ballot Initiative Seeks to Stop Food Production

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 21:39:26 GMT

In November, Denver residents will cast their vote on a plan to ban slaughterhouses in the city. Denver, a hub of lamb processing for the state and nation, represents 15% to 20% of U.S. lamb harvest capacity.

The slaughterhouse provides many jobs in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. This ban puts 160 jobs at stake and according to one study, at least $215 million in economic benefits, which could be as high as $860 million, counting indirect factors, Channel 9 reports .

In addition, the ban also threatens more than 2,700 jobs including independent ranchers, truckers, distributors, retailers, butchers, and restaurant owners and employees, according to a Colorado State University study .

The measure titled “ Prohibition of Slaughterhouses ” would outlaw “the construction, maintenance, or use of” any meat processing facilities in Denver beginning Jan. 1, 2026, as well as “require the city to prioritize residents whose employment is affected by the ordinance in workforce training or employment assistance programs.”

Pro-Animal Future announced it had collected enough signatures from residents to add this proposal to the fall ballot, threatening Superior Farms, the last remaining slaughterhouse in the city. According to Pro-Animal Future’s website, the organization is a “citizen-led movement away from the exploitation, animal cruelty, and environmental pollution of factory farming, and towards a brighter future based on a more just, sustainable, and compassionate food system.”

Organizations, restaurants and people coming together to stop the ban , say the ban is wrong for working families, wrong for animal welfare and the cost of a ban will be passed on to consumers. The additional cost of shipping more of Denver’s food supply from further away will increase carbon emissions and make the food supply chain less sustainable. Read more here.

In the Proposed Denver Ordinance Banning Animal Slaughter: Implications for the Animal Sector and Economy study by Colorado State University’s Regional Economic Development Institute, analysts shared these additional concerns beyond the economic impact.

1. Some local businesses will suffer significantly.While the focus of the ordinance appears to be a single facility, economic spillovers will reverberate throughout the regional economy, because of the transport of goods and services to and from the Denver location. The meat slaughter and processing sector in Denver County is intertwined with other value-added food businesses who rely on the meat slaughter and processing sector for inputs.

2. The ordinance runs counter to demonstrated consumer preferences and choices.
Evidence suggests that consumers increasingly prefer local sourcing of food or products certifying sustainability and animal welfare innovations. The ordinance will eliminate the only substantive, local source of meat slaughter and processing for producers engaged in direct marketing of food products. Sales of domestic products are likely to be replaced by imported products.

3. The ordinance reduces the resilience of the meat supply chain.
Recent federal initiatives encourage investments enhancing the resilience of the food system including developing small and medium sized slaughter facilities. The purpose is two-fold: improving food security in times of disruption and enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized livestock operations. The proposed Denver ordinance reduces the resilience of the meat supply chain and increases costs for small and medium sized livestock producers who are unlikely to find alternatives.

Chefs Join the Fight
Now, two new, high-profile stakeholders are joining the fight against the referendum, reports a Denver news source .

La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal Chef Jose Avila and II Posto Chef Andrea Frizzi are teaming up with president and CEO of the National Western Stock Show and Complex Paul Andrews, operations manager/employee owner of Superior Farms Isabel Bautista, president of the Colorado Livestock Association Kenny Rogers along with other Superior Farms employee/owners to oppose this citizen-initiated measure.

According to Complete Colorado, the Denver election website reports that issue committees have been formed both for and against the measure.

Pro Animal Denver, has raised just under $230,000 from two contributors: Pro-Animal Future ($218,000), a Colorado-based organization with the mission to “end animal farming in Colorado” and Owen Gunden ($11,500), a New York-based philanthropist who “aims to make the world a kinder place for non-humans.”
“Stop the Ban, Protect Jobs” has raised $740,000 from an array of donors including Superior Farms, the American Sheep Industry Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Visit Denver, the Colorado Livestock Association, United Food & Commercial Workers International, Concience Bay Research, LLC, Political Action Trust, and the Colorado Livestock Association.

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Prop 12: A Different Kind of California Wildfire

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:42:08 GMT

Proposition 12 legislation took effect in California on Jan. 1, 2022. National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) assistant vice president and general counsel Michael Formica predicts Proposition 12 repercussions will be seen in California as early as this morning.

The law requires egg-laying hens, calves raised for veal and breeding pigs (sows) to be able to lie down, stand up, and turn around in the spaces in which they are housed, without touching the sides of the stall, or another animal.

Most sows are housed in individual pens. Proposition 12 prescribes sows must have at least 24 square feet of floor space to move around, which would effectively require large group pens.

California’s Position

California raises about 8,000 sows—only 1,500 in commercial production—while maintaining a market demand of roughly 700,000 sows. California’s pork needs are generally met through states like Iowa, Minnesota and others in the Midwest.

Formica says only 4% or 5% of U.S. pork production is currently compliant with Proposition 12 legislation.

Various retailers have pleaded with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to rewrite the timeframe for enforcing Proposition 12. CDFA says they lack authority to delay the compliance deadline.

Formica explains that 28 months of unsuccessful compliance delays with the CDFA and the Animal Care Program has put retailers in an “impossible” position that could lead to criminal charges for the sale of uncertified meat.

Lessons Learned

Californians didn’t clearly understand what was being voted on, Formica adds.

“They didn’t know the impact this was going to have,” says Formica. “They were presented the question, ‘Do you think farm animals should be protected from cruel treatment?’ I would have voted the same way.”

Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer says before this legislation made its way to the proposal stage, “it should have been battled with questions,” to better educate voters.

NPPC and the American Farm Bureau have filed a joint petition on Proposition 12, scheduled to be addressed by the Supreme Court on Jan. 7, 2022.

Related Articles:

> California’s Prop 12 Took Effect Jan. 1

> Prop 12 Countdown: California Food Industry Leaders Fight Back

Supreme Court Takes Up NPPC, AFBF Challenge to Proposition 12

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:38:46 GMT

The Supreme Court of the United States announced on March 28 that it will take up the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) challenge to California’s Proposition 12. The case is expected to be argued after the court begins its new term in October.

“We are extremely pleased that the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of Proposition 12, in which California seeks to impose regulations targeting farming practices outside its borders that would stifle interstate and international commerce,” NPPC President Terry Wolters said in a release. “NPPC has poured a lot of blood, sweat and tears into preserving the rights of America’s pork producers to raise hogs in a way that’s best for their animals’ well-being and that allows them to continue selling pork to all consumers, both here and internationally.”

NPPC and AFBF are petitioning the Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of one state imposing regulations that reach far outside its borders and stifle interstate and international commerce. And, in this case, it’s about arbitrary animal housing standards that lack any scientific, technical or agricultural basis and that will only inflict harm on U.S. hog farmers, NPPC said.

The high court is taking up the case on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which in July upheld a lower court ruling against the NPPC-AFBF lawsuit, NPPC explained in a release. The appeals court found that despite the organizations plausibly alleging that Prop. 12 “will have dramatic upstream effects and require pervasive changes to the pork industry nationwide,” 9th Circuit precedent didn’t allow the case to continue. That precedent, however, runs counter to numerous Supreme Court decisions and is in conflict with nearly every other federal circuit court.

Proposition 12, approved by voters in 2018 and took effect Jan. 1, 2022, makes it illegal to sell pork in California unless the pig it comes from was born to a sow housed with at least 24 square feet of space and in conditions that allow the sow to turn around freely without touching her enclosure. It applies to any uncooked pork sold in the state, whether produced there or outside its borders. Nearly all pork currently produced in the United States fails to meet California’s arbitrary standards. (Business groups in California recently got a state superior court to delay the effective date of Proposition 12 for 180 days after final implementing regulations are issued.)

“AFBF is pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the constitutionality of California’s law imposing arbitrary requirements on farmers well outside its borders. We share California’s goal of ensuring animals are well cared for, but Prop 12 fails to advance that goal,” AFBF president Zippy Duvall said in a release . “We look forward to presenting the facts to the Court, including how Prop 12 hamstrings farmers’ efforts to provide a safe environment for their animals, while harming small family farms and raising pork prices across the country. One state’s misguided law should not dictate farming practices for an entire nation.”

In addition to its legal efforts, NPPC weighed in on problems with the initial proposal implementing regulations for Prop 12, including an unworkable annual certification of hog farms’ compliance with the initiative’s requirements. The California Department of Food and Agriculture, which wrote the regulations, has yet to issue final rules, NPPC said in a release.

“It requires massive and costly alteration to existing sow housing nationwide, necessitates either reduction of herd sizes or building of new facilities to meet its space mandates, raises prices in transactions with no California connection, drives farms out of business, and promotes industry consolidation, and will be policed by intrusive inspections of out-of-state farms conducted by California’s agents,” NPPC and AFBF said in their appeal.

NPPC and AFBF in the coming weeks will file their initial brief with the Supreme Court, which could hear oral arguments in the fall and could render a decision by the end of the year.

“This is important to the pork industry today, but it is broader than just Proposition 12,” Bryan Humphreys, NPPC CEO, said last month .

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

The Wait Continues for SCOTUS Decision on Prop 12 Petition

State Court Halts Enforcement of Prop 12, California Must Finalize Rules First

Prop 12 Countdown: California Food Industry Leaders Fight Back

Vilsack Unveils $25-Million Grant Award to Wholestone Farms at Pork Forum

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:18:22 GMT

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on Thursday a $25-million Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grant award to Wholestone Farms for a major plant expansion in Fremont, Neb.

“We are excited about this,” Vilsack shared before the crowd of pork producers at the National Pork Industry Forum in Orlando, Fla. “This plant has 195 independent pork producers, owners and operators. It creates another opportunity that’s not linked to one market. These hundreds of new opportunities are part of creating new, additional and expanded revenue to give people options and keep them on the farm.”

Wholestone Farms employs over 1,000 plant professionals and 200 office workers. The proposed plant expansion will add approximately 112,000 square feet directly connected to the existing facility, which will include an 89,000-square-foot cut floor and 23,000-square-foot rendering building. The expansion will enable second shift operations and add approximately 950 new jobs. Second shift operations will double the processing capacity.

“Investments like these will deliver long-term improvements in meat and poultry processing practices to benefit consumers, farmers and the environment,” Vilsack said. “We are excited to see how these investments will generate solutions that benefit all Americans.”

This grant, administered by USDA Rural Development, is funded through the American Rescue Plan and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).

“Farmers rely on technology to become more efficient and profitable,” Vilsack said. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration and through historic funding investments, USDA continues to invest in research processing expansion that will create new and better markets and expand opportunities for small businesses and rural communities. This investment will help enable that vision.”

In addition, the University of Arkansas was awarded a $5 million grant from the AFRI Center of Excellence for Meat and Poultry Processing and Food Safety Research and Innovation (MPPFSRI). In addition, $13.9 million in grants from the Meat and Poultry Processing Research and Innovation – Small Business Innovation Research Phase III – program were awarded to 14 small and mid-sized meat and poultry processors. These grants are administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The AFRI MPPFSRI program promotes novel approaches to meat and poultry processing by implementing pioneering production system technology that assesses risk management and overall enhanced food safety. The University of Arkansas, Center for Scalable and Intelligent Automation in Poultry Processing, will incorporate basic and applied research in meat and poultry processing and food safety to promote technological innovation and decrease industry barriers to safety and processing, a release said.

As part of the MPPFSRI Phase III funding investments, prior Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awardees with relevant technologies were invited to apply for this funding opportunity. Selected awardees must provide non-restrictive access or non-exclusive licenses to any technologies or related enabling technologies developed under this award to help small and mid-size processors implement the technology.

Examples of NIFA’s 14 funded MPPFSRI Phase III projects include:

• Biotronics Inc. of Ames, Iowa, developed and commercialized technology with funding from USDA SBIR Phase I and Phase II grants that uses ultrasound scans for measuring backfat, muscle depth and intramuscular fat in its products. With this new funding, Biotronics will optimize its technology for small and mid-size packers to reduce operation size and costs, streamline processes and minimize plant installation. Biotronics will validate online scanning and carcass processing, install a compact prototype system, and train plant operators for scanning and maintenance procedures. Biotronics will work with a small packing plant, The Pork Company LLC, Warsaw, N.C.

• Halomine, Inc., of Ithaca, N.Y., developed an antimicrobial coating with grants from USDA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR that significantly improves poultry and meat processing sanitation technology and important food safety advances. The coating, HaloFilm, neutralizes harmful pathogens and prevents biofilms on various surfaces within the poultry and meat manufacturing environment, thus reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses and increasing productivity. With this funding, Halomine will perform pilot studies and trials working with Steadfast Farms, LLC, Bethlehem, Conn.

• Cinder Biological, Inc., of San Leandro, Calif., will extend work from its NSF SBIR work to improve meat and poultry sanitization. The technology incorporates natural enzymes from volcanic springs to produce the world’s most acidic and heat stable enzymes. Daily use of synthetic chemicals causes accumulation in the environment, in aquifers and wastewater flows, and can impact worker safety. Using this more natural system will reduce the use of ammonium-based disinfectants, improve food safety and reduce occupational hazards in meat and poultry processing operations. Cinder Biological, Inc. will partner with Cream Co. Meats, Oakland, Calif.

Read More:

Vilsack Focuses on Farm Bill Possibilities with National Sustainable Ag Coalition

The ‘Beagle Brigade’ Receives Industry-Wide Support in Protection of U.S. Agriculture

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 05:28:31 GMT

Today, over 116 agricultural canine teams provide screening at border crossings, airports, cruise terminals, cargo warehouses and mail facilities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

To protect the U.S. agriculture industry, natural resources and food supply, canines are used at U.S. ports of entry to detect and prevent foreign animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease and African swine fever, as well as invasive species, plant diseases and pests from entering the U.S.

Industry groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council, have submitted a letter to U.S. Congress leaders in favor of passing the Beagle Brigade Act of 2022 (S. 3678/H.R. 8432), congressionally authorizing and funding the National Detector Dog Training Center.

The Center in Newnan, Ga., is the primary training facility for the so-called “Beagle Brigade,” where canines and the Agriculture Canine Teams of the CBP handlers are trained to sniff out contraband fruits, vegetables and meat products in international passenger baggage, mailed packages and vehicles entering the U.S.

“Healthy animals ensure consumers have safe food and allow American producers, their communities and the U.S. economy to thrive. That is why NPPC joined over 50 organizations spanning the entire agriculture sector in support of the Beagle Brigade Act of 2022,” says Terry Wolters, NPPC president and owner of Stoney Creek Farms in Pipestone, Minn.

See the full letter and list of supporting groups here .

Canines have been successful at several border detections in 2022, including:

• 230 pounds of prohibited pork bologna seized at Bridge of the Americas and Santa Teresa border crossings

• 120 pounds of prohibited fresh pork and poultry meat at the Laredo Port of Entry

CBP seizes more than 4,600 plants, meat and animal byproducts per day on average , NPPC reported in its Capital Update.

Worker Absenteeism in Packing Plants is No Surprise

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:56:53 GMT

When rumors circled a few weeks ago of pork packing plants refusing loads because of diminished capacity from worker absenteeism due to COVID-19, how could anyone really be surprised? With COVID-19 on the rise and mixing in influenza, the list just continues to grow with reasons why workers may not be able to report to work.

But society blaming it all on COVID-19 and trying to say packing plants aren’t trying to protect their workforce simply isn’t fair. A new analysis of independent data for the full month of November shows that reported new COVID-19 infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers were more than 8 times lower than rates in the general population.

According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network, the meat and poultry sector was reported to have an average of 5.57 new cases per 100,000 workers per day in November. Infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers have declined steeply in the last six months, while surging across the U.S. – but that’s the story mainstream media doesn’t cover.

During this same period, the New York Times reports the average new case rate for the U.S. population was 45.36 cases per 100,000 people per day.

That’s a big difference.

The new analysis follows the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) vote Dec. 20 to prioritize vaccination for frontline meat and poultry workers, joining a growing consensus that vaccinating the sector’s diverse workforce is the next step for building on the major investments made last spring to implement effective protection measures.

“This new analysis is encouraging evidence that more than $1.5 billion in comprehensive protections implemented since the spring have reversed the pandemic’s impact on the selfless men and women who have kept Americans’ refrigerators full and our farm economy working throughout this crisis,” says Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts.

Illnesses will happen. No one can predict how influenza is going to mix with COVID-19 this winter. As we move into 2021, I think it’s more imperative than ever that we find solutions to our labor problems. The U.S. pork industry suffers from a serious labor shortage – both in processing plants and on farms. We have struggled to solve the labor problem domestically and need to find alternatives.

Labor Reform Needed
The H-2A visa program, created in 1987 under the Immigration Reform and Control Act, allows a foreign national entry into the U.S. for temporary or seasonal agricultural work. Because this program is designed for seasonal agriculture, the H-2A visa program can’t meet the workforce needs of pig farmers. Livestock production is a year-round job that requires different provisions and support. We need to rally our decisionmakers to find solutions for livestock production because the labor need is not going away.

“We strongly support reform of the H-2A program or creating a new program,” says NPPC Science and Technology Legal Counsel Andrew Bailey. “For us, the big thing we need is a year-round allowance for temporary agricultural workers. We are a year-round business; a lot of our farms are in very rural areas where the population is either aging or declining.”

Packing plant capacity was a concern before COVID-19.

“You can raise all the pigs in the world, but if you can’t turn them into food, it doesn’t really help anybody,” Bailey says.

How Can Pork Producers Help?
Legislators would rather hear from constituents, he adds.

“If you do talk to your legislators, let them know how labor shortages on farms or plants impact your day-to-day business or livelihood,” Bailey says.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

CDC Prioritizes Frontline Meat Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination

AgriTalk: Final Days of 2020 Provide Hope for Pork Producers

UFCW, Meat Institute Ask Governors to Prioritize Vaccinations

Court’s Decision Could Affect New ‘WOTUS’ Rule

Thu, 05 May 2022 17:39:46 GMT

The Biden administration is moving forward with a proposed Clean Water Act (CWA) regulation that could affect millions of acres of farmland even though the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that will clarify what waters the CWA covers, a decision certain to send the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers back (again) to the rulemaking drawing board.

EPA and the Corps of Engineers in December 2021 proposed a Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to protect “navigable” waters but offered a regulation that ultimately gives them authority over waters such as drains, ditches, stock ponds and low spots on farmlands. Such an expansive jurisdiction would mean activities near those waters, including moving dirt, plowing fields, building fences and even planting crops, might require CWA permits. Violations of the law carry civil and criminal penalties.

The proposed rule is similar to one promulgated in August 2015 by the Obama administration and decidedly different from a Trump-era regulation that repealed and replaced the 2015 rule. Several federal courts stopped the 2015 WOTUS regulation, with two deeming it illegal.

The problem has been misinterpretations by EPA and the Corps of Engineers of previous Supreme Court decisions in CWA cases. In one of those, the court determined that waters of the United States are: “relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water” that are connected to traditional navigable waters; and wetlands with a continuous surface connection to such water bodies. But one justice, while agreeing with that definition, further defined WOTUS to include wetlands that “possess a ‘significant nexus’ to waters that are or were navigable” or could be made navigable.

EPA and the Corps of Engineers now and in 2015 used the undefined “nexus” – it can mean connection or relationship – to write regulations with a broad view of what waters are jurisdictional. Both rules covered not only navigable waters and waters with an actual connection to navigable waters but upstream waters and intermittent and ephemeral streams such as the kind farmers use for drainage and irrigation and lands adjacent to all those waters. The 2015 rule was so far-reaching it would have put 99% of Missouri and 97% of Iowa, for example, under the agencies’ control.

The Waters Advocacy Coalition, which represents nearly every segment of the economy, including the U.S. pork industry, in comments submitted on the new proposed WOTUS rule, said the regulation “disregards the limits that Congress placed on the scope of federal regulatory authority under the CWA, codifies misinterpretations of relevant Supreme Court precedents, and impermissibly reads the term ‘navigable’ out of the statute.” The coalition asked the administration to withdraw the rule, or, at least, to delay issuing a final regulation until the high court decides the CWA case now before it.

That case, Sackett v. EPA, finally could provide a clearly defined test the agencies, farmers and other stakeholders can use for determining which waters and surrounding lands are covered by the CWA and which are not.

Terry Wolters is a pork producer from Pipestone, Minn., and president of the National Pork Producers Council.

Read More:

The Next Chapter of WOTUS

From All Angles: Food Chain Mandates Threaten Producers, Impact Consumers

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 17:23:57 GMT

Precedent-setting mandates are coming at animal agriculture from many different angles, undermining the freedom of farmers to raise livestock. These regulations aren’t based on science. They aren’t based on animal husbandry experience. And many will argue they aren’t based on a shred of truth.

So, why are more and more activist groups turning to state ballot initiatives to push their agendas? Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer says it’s simple.

“Activist groups know that it is easier to get mandates at the state level than federal, and are trying that approach with some initial success,” Wiesemeyer says.

The activist groups are targeting states with little to no livestock production trying to mandate how producers raise livestock, explains Michael Formica, assistant vice president and general counsel for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

“Because the rules are implemented on a state-by-state basis, each rule is unique and it’s creating a patchwork of different regulatory standards,” Formica says. “Meanwhile, food brands continue to assess sourcing policies entered into a decade ago that are bringing with them additional challenges.”

One Word for Food Mandates

If the mandates resulted in better food safety and efficiency while working with farmers and the food sector to accomplish goals, that would be a clear benefit, Wiesemeyer says. But these mandates don’t result in better food safety or efficiency, and they aren’t created in collaboration with farmers and the food sector.

In one word, Formica calls these mandates “uninformed.”

“The use of mandates to set supply chain policies encourages rules that might sound good on paper to uninformed voters and audiences but lack any consideration of the complex realities of animal health and welfare, veterinary care and supply chain challenges. These rules set arbitrary standards based on a goal of reduced meat consumption rather than being informed by veterinary expertise,” he says.

Wiesemeyer describes mandates in the food supply chain as “unnecessary.”

“These unfunded mandates have far more costs than benefits, which should be the test of any new proposed regulation,” Wiesemeyer adds.

For fifth-generation pork producer and CEO of Two Mile Pork LLC Scott Hays, these mandates are “evolving.”

“We’re seeing developments in the kinds of policies being developed and new players getting involved. For example, financial groups and benchmark reports seek to influence investors by calling attention to animal care and environmental practices,” Hays says.

Time to Speak Up

It’s vital for all agriculture and livestock stakeholders to engage with food industry decision-makers, government officials and NGOs to communicate about realities of modern agriculture to help them make informed decisions, Hays explains.

“As we seek to minimize the threat of further restrictions, it’s important to bring in expertise and science to ensure rational and economically viable solutions are identified,” he says.

More mandates will continue to drive smaller producers and firms away from animal agriculture because they do not have the personnel nor financial resources to deal with them, Wiesemeyer believes.

“This is ironic because many of those pushing mandates profess to want to expand entrants in the ag industry,” Wiesemeyer says.

As a producer, Hays is concerned about the goal posts changing and new policies being imposed. The result of the ballot initiatives, special interest group pressure and government policies is a dangerous mix of inconsistent standards that threaten farmers’ ability to operate effectively.

“What I comply with today may not be compliant in a year or five years when a new policy or regulation is approved; and therefore, will require me to make additional changes, at a significant cost. And consumers suffer, too,” he says. “These changes have a ripple effect of disruption in the supply chain, including higher prices.”

Keep Your Eyes on This

In the short term, Proposition 12 in California and Question 3 in Massachusetts are just a few mandates threatening producers’ freedom to operate while others such as the PAUSE Act , which has been proposed in Colorado, bring with them potential additional challenges, Formica says. (link to stories on these issues)

“California’s Prop 12 is the key issue to watch,” Wiesemeyer believes. “Why? If the Supreme Court does not accept the NPPC/Farm Bureau petition to review the matter , and if it is not struck down, then anti-farm policy groups will use the California approach as a template for similar action ahead on other issues.”

Although there doesn’t appear to be an upside to these mandates, Formica says the debate has led to strengthened relationships between the pork industry and other livestock industries, as well as the organizations throughout the food chain that ultimately market and sell these products to consumers.

“This has allowed us opportunities for additional education and understanding of pork production,” Formica points out. “Making sure producers, veterinarians and other livestock specialists are involved in these important discussions is vital.”

Hays says the story of how food is raised and produced is compelling, especially as fewer people have any connection to farming and rural lifestyles.

“Special interest groups, financed with nearly unlimited financial resources, are continuing to push for changes. Despite a slowdown during the pandemic, we expect these headwinds to continue,” Hays says.

Read More:

The Wait Continues for SCOTUS Decision on Prop 12 Petition

Prop 12: A Different Kind of California Wildfire

PAUSE Act A Radical Threat To Ranching

Why Animal Agriculture Needs to Take Petition 13 Seriously

Considering Prop 12 Conversion? Think About These Things First

BREAKING: State Court Halts Enforcement of Prop 12, California Must Finalize Rules First

Prop 12 Countdown: California Food Industry Leaders Fight Back

Proposition 12: Stop Applying Band-Aids to Proposed Rules, NAMI Says

Proposition 12 Will Create a Burdensome, Bureaucratic Labyrinth, NPPC Says

Pork Industry Braces for Catastrophic Costs to Implement Proposition 12

Proposition 12 Pressures Aren’t Going Away

On-Demand Webinar: Proposition 12: Where Do We Go From Here?

20 States Back Challenge to the Constitutionality of California’s Prop 12

California’s Proposition 12 Would Cost U.S. Pork Industry Billions

Court Upholds California Proposition 12

Delay Implementation of Proposition 12, Food Industry Leaders Urge

Sorenson Advocates for Animal Protein During Borlaug Dialogue

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:37:52 GMT

Our world needs animal protein more than ever before. Access and affordability of healthier foods continues to be a challenge around the globe. Healthy food plays a vital role in achieving good nutrition and health, especially for women and children. This topic was a key focus of the 2021 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue held Oct. 18-22.

Jen Sorenson, president of the National Pork Producers Council, joined a panel with eight other industry experts to discuss how strengthening community engagement and fostering greater government accountability and transparency has been shown to improve access to healthier foods.

“There’s no lack of evidence showing the importance of animal protein in helping prevent childhood stunting and malnutrition,” Sorenson shared during the roundtable discussion.

She explained why pork is a good source of macro and micronutrients and protein. For example, she shared that a 3 oz. serving of pork provides 5% iron, a necessary mineral needed for growth and development, has less than 5 grams of fat, is naturally low sodium and is packed with protein.

“With a nutritiously packed cut of meat with both macro and micronutrients and its affordability, working together to ensure that our communities of children, mothers and lactating women have equitable access to animal protein, like pork, is critical,” Sorenson said.

In addressing efforts to expand the affordability and accessibility of foods without compromising their nutritional value and negatively affecting the environment, Sorenson explained how U.S. pork production can serve as a model, with its small carbon footprint, cycle of converting feed to meat and of using manure to produce feed and the ease of raising hogs, which have high birthing rates and can be raised almost anywhere in the world.

“Dr. Borlaug was raised in Cresco, a small farming community in northeast Iowa. As someone who is a pork producer, and a mother, and also raised on a crop and livestock farm in a small farming community – we take great pride in our fellow Iowan,” Sorenson said. “In fact, we often use his words on our farms, because they hold so true as we are breeding sows and weaning pigs – ‘there are no miracles in production agriculture.’”

Still pig farmers push forward every day in the unified and noble mission to care for the animals that feed a hungry world – a growing world that needs animal protein, Sorenson shared.

This annual conference, hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation to “address cutting-edge issues related to global food security and nutrition,” focused on mother and child nutrition in low- and middle-income countries. This hybrid event reached two separate audiences, the event organizer noted, including online with 2,000 registered virtual viewers spanning 70 countries and in-person for 80 guests.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Saving America’s Bacon from California’s Prop 12

Why One Pig Farmer Says It’s Time to Change Your Mindset

Bringing Home the Bacon Takes on New Meaning for California Consumers

Misguided Ruling Could Upend the Lives of Many Hog Farmers, Sorenson Says

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 19:06:01 GMT

A recent federal district court ruling , if left unchallenged, will result in a 2.5% loss in pork packing plant capacity nationwide and more than $80 million in reduced income for small U.S. hog farmers, according to Dermot Hayes, an Iowa State University professor of economics.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urges USDA to intervene before the ruling takes effect at the end of June. Not only will the ruling dramatically reduce hog farmer market power, particularly smaller producers located near impacted plants, but it will also undermine pork industry competition, NPPC said in a release on May 24.

“The U.S. pork production system, the most advanced in the world, is characterized by robust competition, innovation and efficiency. With the stroke of a judge’s pen, the lives of many hog farmers will be upended if this misguided ruling takes effect,” NPPC President Jen Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines, Iowa, said in a release. “The lost revenue projected by Dr. Hayes is not theoretical; it is based on breeding decisions made several month ago and pigs already in the production cycle that will go to market in a few months.”

The federal court’s decision struck down a provision of USDA’s New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) adopted industry-wide in 2019 that allows for faster harvest facility line speeds. NSIS was initiated during the Clinton administration and has been evaluated at five pilot plants over 20 years. In short, NSIS modernized an inspection system that had remained unchanged for more than 50 years.

However, NPPC says the court’s ruling will have the opposite effect sought by those seeking to expand the number of meat packing plant facilities. Lawmakers have recently called for increasing the number of pork processing facilities nationwide by bringing smaller state plants up to federal inspection standards. These facilities represent less than 1% of total harvest capacity.

“A significant reduction in harvest capacity will have a very big impact on prices,” said Dwight Mogler, a pork producer in Alvord, Iowa. “There is no limit to how low they can go.”

According to Hayes, the court decision will affect all hog farmers, but small hog farmers will disproportionately bear the brunt, especially those near affected processing plants.

Michigan pork producer Ed Reed sends 80% of his hogs to an affected plant 15 miles away from his farm. The next closest processing plant is 2.5 hours away. Those added transportation costs may be too much for producers to bear, he added.

“I’m a small farm and we’re trying to capture as much value as we can,” Reed said. “If we were to slow the plant down…we’re going to have capacity issues.”

Minnesota hog farmer Dani Schwerin agrees.

“If we can’t pay our people because the funds aren’t coming in, we have to let them go. In a small community, where we’re a large employer, removing the jobs from our community is detrimental to these families and the vitality of the community as a whole,” Schwerin said.

NPPC urges USDA to appeal the ruling, seek a stay while the appeal is considered and request the agency pursue a new, fast-tracked rulemaking that better reflects the modern processing plant technologies and practices and allows for higher line speeds.

To learn more about this issue and hear more hog farmers describe the impact the court ruling would have on their operation, visit NPPC’s website .

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Judge Denies Seaboard’s Motion to Delay Line Speed Limits

U.S. Pork Processor Seeks to Delay Court Decision Limiting Slaughter Speeds

Federal Court Removes Swine Slaughter Line Speed Provision

Union Representing Pork Processing Plant Workers Sues USDA

Industry Groups File Brief in Support of New Swine Inspection System

Senate Bill to Reform Hours of Service, Logging Regulation for Ag Haulers

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 20:51:31 GMT

Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) reintroduced the Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the Hours of Service (HOS) and Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The bill would also delay enforcement of the ELD rule until the required reforms are formally proposed by the Transportation Secretary.

“We’ve worked to provide needed certainty and flexibility to our agricultural haulers under the HOS and ELD regulations so that they can get their products to market safely and efficiently,” Senator Hoeven said in a release . “This legislation builds on our efforts, establishing a process to address unnecessary burdens under these regulations and advance reforms based on the input of agriculture producers, while also ensuring roadway safety is maintained.”

The bill would establish a working group at DOT comprised of representatives from the transportation and agriculture industries, transportation safety representatives and the USDA.

The working group will consider the impact of existing HOS and ELD rules on the commercial transport of livestock, insects and agricultural commodities and develop guidelines on reforming these rules, the release said.. Within 120 days of receiving the working group’s report, the Transportation Secretary must propose regulatory changes to the HOS and ELD regulations, considering the group’s recommendations.

“It is important that we maintain safe roads while also recognizing the unique flexibility needed to move Colorado’s agricultural products to markets,” Senator Bennet said in a release. “I look forward to working with Senator Hoeven and our colleagues to give farmers and ranchers a seat at the table as we push for more sensible rules around the transportation of agricultural goods.”

The Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act is supported by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, United States Cattlemen’s Association, Livestock Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation and more.

“NPPC strongly supports the Hoeven-Bennet bill, which provides stakeholder collaboration for developing common-sense Hours of Service regulations to addresses the safety of our roadways while protecting the welfare of our livestock,” NPPC President Jen Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines, Iowa, said in a statement. “The bill supports an essential element of the nation’s food production system and the continuity of the U.S pork supply chain.”

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Superheroes of the Supply Chain: Truckers Keep it Moving

Federal Court Removes Swine Slaughter Line Speed Provision

HAULS Act Expands Hours of Service Flexibility for Livestock Haulers

Do Imported Rescue Dogs Pose Threat to Livestock Industry?

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 21:12:48 GMT

Each year, several thousand dogs enter the U.S. for resale or adoption. In a recent Hogs on the Hill article, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) chief veterinarian Liz Wagstrom wrote that it’s time to sound the alarm on importing rescue dogs.

Why? Increasingly rescue dogs are being imported from countries where foreign animal diseases (FADs) such as African swine fever (ASF) are present. As the U.S. devotes funding and increases efforts to protect U.S. borders from possible threats that could harm our country, she explained this largely unknown FAD risk must be addressed to protect U.S. livestock and agriculture from FADs.

“While the dogs are not known to be susceptible to or carry FADs, there is the potential for bedding, crates or contamination of the dogs’ coats to serve as disease carriers. As a veterinarian, and a dog owner, this potential is alarming,” Wagstrom wrote.

Some of these dogs entering the U.S. may have been rescued from wet markets, while others from operations which raise dogs expressly for export. All it takes is one of these animals carrying an FAD into the country to put the U.S. swine herd and other livestock in jeopardy. Wagstrom wrote this could have disastrous consequences for our nation’s agriculture sector.

This risk is compounded because although both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the USDA have separate and distinct responsibilities over the importation of dogs, there is no single federal agency with comprehensive oversight of the issue, she added. There is also not a central federal website to apply for an import permit to bring dogs for sale or adoption into the country.

“A solution is within our grasp,” Wagstrom wrote. “USDA, under the Animal Health Protection Act, has the authority to develop rules for the safe importation of dogs from FAD-positive countries to protect the livestock industry. NPPC looks forward to continuing to work with the agency to ensure U.S. pork producers and our nation remains safe and protected from devastating FAD outbreaks.”

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

It’s Time for a Better Approach for Disease Surveillance

African Swine Fever in China: A Truth Somewhere in Between, Vilsack Says

Will TADD Process Inactivate ASF Virus in Transport Trailers?

Livestock Producers on Level Playing Field Thanks to MOU Between USDA and FDA

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 20:46:06 GMT

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been finalized regarding regulation of certain animals developed using genetic engineering. USDA announced the MOU with the Food and Drug Administration that outlines responsibilities regarding genetically engineered animals that are intended for agricultural purposes such as human food, fiber and labor.

This MOU complements USDA’s issuance of an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on the Movement of Animals Modified or Developed by Genetic Engineering on December 28, 2020.

“Today’s Memorandum of Understanding clears a path to bring our regulatory framework into the 21st century, putting American producers on a level playing field with their competitors around the world. In the past, regulations stifled innovation, causing American businesses to play catch-up and cede market share,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in a release. “America has the safest and most affordable food supply in the entire world thanks to the innovation of our farmers, ranchers and producers. Establishing a new, transparent, risk and science-based regulatory framework would ensure this continues to be the case.”

The terms of the MOU support USDA’s ANPR outlining a contemplated regulatory framework that would apply to certain animals (cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, mules, or other equines, catfish, and poultry) developed using genetic engineering intended for agricultural purposes, USDA explains. Under this framework, USDA would safeguard animal and human health by overseeing pre-market reviews through post-market food safety monitoring for certain farm animals modified or developed using genetic engineering that are intended for human food.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauded the MOU signed between the USDA and the FDA, giving USDA primary regulatory jurisdiction over the development of gene-edited livestock.

“NPPC has been calling for this decision for more than three years to ensure that U.S. agriculture maintains its competitive edge globally. We look forward to working with the Biden administration to implement a technology that has the potential to improve animal health, further reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint and improve production efficiency,” NPPC said in a statement.

The MOU also allows for the transition of portions of FDA’s pre-existing animal biotechnology regulatory oversight to USDA. USDA would continue to coordinate closely with FDA to fulfill oversight responsibilities and provide the appropriate regulatory environment, ensuring the safety of products derived from new technologies and fostering innovation at the same time, the release said.

FDA would continue its review of intentional genomic alterations intended for any purpose other than agricultural use, such as biopharma and non-heritable genomic alteration, and the regulation of dairy products, table and shell eggs, certain meat products and animal feed derived from animals developed using genetic engineering.

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FDA Stalls U.S. Gene-Edited Livestock Efforts

USDA Oversight of Gene-Edited Livestock: A Seismic Shift for Agriculture