POULTRY

USDA Charts New Course to Provide Consumers Confidence in U.S. Meat, Poultry and Egg Products

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 20:18:38 GMT

When it comes to food safety, USDA is charting a bold new course to provide consumers confidence that their meat, poultry and egg products meet best-in-class food safety standards, explained U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins at the opening of the USDA’s new, modernized Midwestern Food Safety Laboratory.

On July 15, Rollins launched a comprehensive plan to bolster USDA’s efforts to combat foodborne illness. She says this plan better positions USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to protect the nation’s food supply.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring American consumers have the safest, most abundant, and affordable food supply in the world,” Secretary Rollins said in a release. “I look forward to continued collaboration across the Trump administration, with states, and with food producers from farm to table, to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health.”

FSIS will continue to work in close collaboration with partners like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure the safety of the entire food supply chain.

USDA’s 5-Point Plan to Bolster Food Safety
1. Enhance Microbiological Testing and Inspection Oversight
USDA is making continued enhancements to its Listeria testing method to provide quicker results to industry and to detect a broader set of Listeria species. These additional results highlight conditions where Listeria monocytogenes can thrive in facilities producing ready-to-eat (RTE) products and help industry and FSIS identify potential sanitation problems. In 2025, FSIS has tested over 23,000 samples for Listeria, a more than 200 percent increase in samples from 2024.

To support these enhanced testing efforts, FSIS opened its new, modernized Midwestern Laboratory in Normandy, Mo. During President Trump’s first term, FSIS collaborated across the Trump administration and with Congressional leaders to secure funding for a 70,000 square foot, state-of-the-art laboratory to replace the current outdated laboratory in St. Louis. This new facility will play a critical role in analyzing verification samples for foodborne pathogens and chemical residues and will also support efforts to streamline the FSIS laboratory system.

FSIS is also mobilizing its resources to perform more robust, in-person Food Safety Assessments (FSAs), prioritizing RTE meat and poultry establishments. In 2025, the agency completed 440 FSAs, a 52% increase from the same time period in 2024. These reviews proactively identify and address potential food safety concerns.  

2. Equip FSIS Inspectors with Updated Training and Tools
This year, FSIS implemented a new weekly questionnaire for frontline inspectors to collect data on specific Listeria monocytogenes-related risk factors at all RTE establishments. This new tool collects data to identify developing food safety concerns, allowing FSIS inspectors and their supervisors to take timely action to protect consumers.

FSIS is also enhancing its instructions and related training for inspectors to help them recognize and elevate problems with an establishment’s food safety system. New instructions aid inspectors in recognizing how to look beyond individual noncompliances and determine when an establishment has systemic problems that should be elevated and addressed. Since January, the agency also updated its Listeria-specific training and administered it to over 5,200 frontline inspection personnel.

3. Charge Ahead to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses
Rollins has charged FSIS to find a more effective and achievable approach to address Salmonella in poultry products. FSIS withdrew President Biden’s proposed Salmonella Framework in April in light of significant concerns raised by stakeholders about the regulatory burden and costly impacts it would have had on small poultry growers and processors. The Trump administration is pursuing a new, common-sense strategy on Salmonella to protect public health while preventing unnecessary regulatory overreach, which will begin by convening listening sessions with key stakeholders to collaborate on best approaches moving forward.

4. Strengthen State Partnerships
States are crucial partners in ensuring a safe and strong food supply and provide a vital service in bringing nutritious, affordable American food products to dinner tables across the country. In May, Rollins announced an additional $14.5 million in funding to reimburse states for their meat and poultry inspection programs and called on Congress to more sustainably fund these critical programs moving forward. This funding is needed to support more than 1,500 American businesses that rely on state inspection, including small and very small meat and poultry processors. She also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in May to improve collaboration between USDA and states moving forward.

Additionally, this year, FSIS signed updated, comprehensive cooperative agreements with all 29 states that operate state meat and poultry programs. These agreements clarify expectations for oversight and enforcement of food safety laws, provide comprehensive training for inspectors, and ensure regular coordination with FSIS. As part of its enhanced oversight of Talmadge-Aiken (TA) state cooperative programs, FSIS has completed in-person reviews at 77% (320 of 414) of TA establishments in the first six months of 2025.

5. Empower FSIS Inspectors to Take Action to Drive Compliance
FSIS is exercising its enforcement authorities and issuing notices of intended enforcement or suspending operations at establishments to address recurring noncompliance and ensure safe food production. The agency has taken 103 enforcement actions in 2025 to protect consumers, an increase of 36% over the same period in 2024. Additionally, FSIS has instructed its field supervisors to conduct in-person, follow-up visits when systemic issues are identified during a Food Safety Assessment. Follow-up visits by FSIS field supervisors bolster oversight to ensure an establishment fully addresses issues identified during a Food Safety Assessment and could inform enforcement action by FSIS.

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) CEO Ted McKinney praised USDA’s commitment to better equip USDA Food Safety Inspection Service inspectors and strengthen state partnerships.

“NASDA commends Secretary Rollins for including states as key partners in USDA’s Plan to Bolster Food Safety,” McKinney said in a release. “State meat and poultry inspection programs have been and continue to be essential to protecting consumers and supporting small and mid-sized producers and processors. This collaboration strengthens our food system and delivers clear benefits to farmers, processors and consumers nationwide.”

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts said the Meat Institute appreciates Secretary Rollins’ bold investment and prioritization of tools to combat foodborne illness.

“At the same time, our members are leading an effort to ensure food safety remains a critical focus of the top executives of each company,” Potts said in a release. “The goal is to prioritize food safety in all operations from the C-suite to the consumer. We appreciate USDA’s partnership in reducing foodborne illness and we are eager to work with USDA on this shared priority.”

JBS Beats Profit Forecasts as Cattle Prices Jump and Costs Fall

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:41:21 GMT

JBS SA, the world’s biggest meat producer, exceeded analysts’ estimates to post record quarterly profit on surging cattle prices and lower feed costs.

Net income rose to 1.09 billion reais ($481 million) from 220 million reais a year ago, the Sao Paulo-based company said in a statement yesterday. Adjusted earnings per share of 37.8 centavos exceeded the 24-centavo average estimate of three analysts tracked by Bloomberg.

JBS, which spent $17 billion on acquisitions in the past decade, benefited from export demand for beef and poultry as well as declining costs for corn and soybeans used as feed. Cattle shortages pushed up prices for livestock that JBS processes at its slaughterhouses, helping earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to more than double. The Brazilian real’s 9.5 percent slump during the quarter boosted exports revenue.

“The ongoing operating improvements made by the JBS units in Brazil and worldwide throughout 2014 also allowed the company to significantly reduce its degree of leverage,” the company said in a statement accompanying the results.

Pilgrim’s Pride, the Greeley, Colorado-based poultry and processed-food company controlled by JBS, reported on Oct. 29 a 95 percent jump in third-quarter Ebitda to $442 million, the highest on record according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Big Birds Are So 2017. The Money Is Now in Smaller, Tender Chicken

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:22:17 GMT

Some chicken companies are doing well despite recent rock-bottom prices. Others are facing losses. A lot of it comes down to the size of the bird they’re hawking.

A decades-long trend of increasing chicken size has come to a halt, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Big birds -- of nine pounds or more -- are more often plagued by so-called woody breast, a big turn-off for chicken lovers because it makes meat unusually tough. Prices of breast meat from those animals fell to record lows late last year and have only just started to recover.

“Bird weights kind of hit a wall because of woody breast and also some customer concerns about weighing counts and boxes,” Sanderson Farms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Joe Sanderson Jr. said Tuesday. “You also have employee concerns about handling bigger chickens.”

In 2017, items like boneless chicken wings made from breast and jumbo wings were popular. Prices for breast soared to a multi-year high. Then in 2018, retailers and restaurants stopped featuring chicken, preferring beef and pork, and prices crashed.

Now, even the mid-sized bird -- four to six pounds -- are getting a lift. This is what consumers buy in grocery stores, also known as the tray-pack bird. Prices were up 1.4 percent over the prior year in the three months ended Jan. 31, according to Sanderson Farms.

Tray-pack birds are doing well because consumers got used to buying more chicken at grocery stores post-2008, during the recession, and never really looked back, Sanderson said in an interview. Americans “have more money now but they have not gone back to restaurants like they were prior to the recession.”

Meanwhile, small birds of around four pounds are destined for the fast-food business, and they’re hot commodities. Selling into this segment is helping chicken companies boost profits, Sanderson Farms Chief Financial Officer Michael Cockrell said.

The Laurel, Mississippi-based company has seven “big-bird deboning” plants and five tray-pack plants. Much of the industry is making a profit, with only a small slice losing money.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. said earlier this month that its diversity in bird sizes is what’s lifting them in a tough market. Sanderson Farms reported a quarterly net loss on Tuesday that was narrower than analyst expectations.

Kansas Paves Way For More Poultry

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:10:18 GMT

The Kansas Legislature wants to make it easier for large-volume poultry companies to operate within the Sunflower State.

The Kansas State House of Representative approved by a 2-1 margin a bill that would allow farmers who use dry manure processing systems to raise up to one-third of a million birds per poultry farm before they would need a state health permit. The bill was previously passed by the Kansas Senate.

Lawmakers hope the measure will make it easier for companies such as Tyson foods to operate within the state. Last year Tyson proposed a new facility near Tonganoxie in the northeast part of the state, but later cancelled those plans after protests from Tonganoxie residents. Tyson later announced plans to build that facility in Tennessee, but the company is reportedly still considering its options in Kansas.

“We in Kansas take considerable pride in the fact that our farmers feed an ever-increasing share of the world’s population, improving the quality of life thereof,” said Rep. Les Mason (R-McPherson) in a written statement. “We also have become accustomed to being able to walk into our corner store and find a nearly limitless supply of food, fiber and protein to feed and nourish our own families. It’s unrealistic to believe that either of those is sustainable if we limit the means of production.”

The bill now goes to Kansas’ governor for his signature.

First Thing Today: China to Work Through Corn Stockpile in Three to Five Years

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 01:17:28 GMT

Firmer tone for corn, beans as overnight session winds down... Corn futures traded narrowly on either side of unchanged overnight, but as of 6:30 a.m. CT most contracts are favoring the upside in choppy trade. Soybeans also saw two-sided trade overnight, but most contracts are currently up 3 to 5 cents. Wheat futures are fractionally lower across all three flavors. The U.S. dollar index is slightly higher, as are crude oil futures.

WOTUS meeting today... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials will hold a two-hour meeting at the agency’s headquarters this afternoon with groups representing state and local officials to solicit their “input and wisdom” on the planned rewrite of the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. In a letter extending the invitation last week, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the consultation is a priority “to both myself and President Trump.” Pruitt will not be at the meeting, since he will be traveling in the Midwest. More than 30 states filed suit against the rule, while others sided with EPA in support when the rule was released during the Obama administration.

Ossoff likely headed for a runoff election... Democrat Jon Ossoff led the field of candidates in a Georgia special election to replace former Representative Tom Price (R), but he is projected to come up short of the 50% majority needed to avoid a runoff election. President Donald Trump picked Price to head Health and Human Services. That means Ossoff will compete in a runoff election with second-place finisher Karen Handel (R) on June 20. Get more perspective on this race that is seen as an early test of Trump’s political standing.

Boost in Chinese processing capacity to work through corn stockpile in three to five years... Chinese corn processing firms will boost processing capacity to use old corn stocks, helping the country to work through its massive stockpile of the grain in the next three to five years, says Tong Yi, general manager of COFCO Biochemical. Tong details that the country’s total corn processing capacity will hit 70 MMT a year by the end of 2018 versus current capacity of 50 MMT. Experts estimate China has corn reserves of around 250 MMT.

Firm raises grain crop and export forecast for Ukraine... UkrAgroConsult now estimates Ukraine’s 2017 grain crop at 61.410 MMT, up 500,000 MT from its latest estimate. And it adds that favorable weather could push production as high as 62.5 MMT. The production boost also prompted the firm to raise its grain export forecast by 700,000 MT to 39.5 MMT. In the 2016-17 marketing year, the Ukraine produced a 63.965 MMT grain crop with exports expected to hit 41.016 MMT, according to UkrAgroConsult.

Mexico expects to clinch trade deal with Argentina by year-end... Juan Carlos Baker, Mexico’s deputy minister for foreign trade, says the country expects to finish negotiations on a trade deal with Argentina by year-end. Under the deal, Argentina would supply some grain to Mexico, free of tariffs. In exchange, Argentina would open its market to Mexican cars, according to Baker. Mexico has been working to find alternatives to the U.S. since Trump’s election. In 2015 the U.S. supplied Mexico with $2.3 billion of corn and $1.4 billion of soy.

Trump pledges relief in Canada dairy trade dispute... Trump promised dairy farmers his administration would intervene to restore exports of American milk in the Canadian market. Trump on Tuesday responded to appeals for help from the dairy industry during an event in Wisconsin, where he also renewed his complaints about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trade groups for U.S. dairy farmers have complained that a policy rolled out in Canada recently violates the trade agreement by creating incentives for Canadian processors to use local supplies. U.S, farm groups say that effectively blocks American dairy exports, adding to a glut of milk on the American side of the border. Canada’s ambassador rejected the claims and said U.S. policies are more projectionist than Canada’s.

South Korea to continue bringing in eggs as supplies stabilize... South Korea will likely continue to import eggs in the weeks and months ahead, despite a downgrade in the country’s alert status over bird flu amid signs the outbreak is waning. After more than a fifth of the country’s poultry population was culled, it will take time for domestic output to recover, according to government sources. An unnamed ag ministry official cited by Reuters says he expects the local egg supply to return to normal in the second half of the year, but until then, the country will continue to bring in eggs -- mainly from Australia.

Signals higher cash cattle prices may lie ahead... Cattle futures settled well off session highs yesterday as the market took note of futures’ technically overbought condition. But boxed beef price gains and tighter showlists signal even higher cash cattle action is very much a possibility this week. And futures remain at a discount to last week’s $128 (mostly) to $129 cash action. Today’s online Fed Cattle Exchange auction will provide additional insight.

Cash market remains a source of pressure for lean hogs... Cash hog prices continue to slide as supplies are reportedly backed up after Easter, which remains a source of pressure for the lean hog market. But talk continues to filter that cash prices will soon put in a low, thanks to spring grilling demand and once farmers return to the field, tightening the availability of market-ready supplies.

Overnight demand news... South Korea’s Major Feedmill Group purchased around 137,000 MT of corn from optional origins. Its Korean Feed Association issued an international tender to buy up to 130,000 MT of corn from optional origins.

Today’s reports:

9:30 a.m., Weekly Ethanol Production -- EIA
1:00 p.m., Beige Book -- Fed
2:00 p.m., Broiler Hatchery -- NASS
2:00 p.m., Livestock Slaughter - Ann. -- NASS