With all the administration and policy changes that have happened in the past, there’s no question the U.S. pork industry has been busy advocating for producers in a period of great uncertainty. Duane Stateler, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president, joined Bryan Humphreys, NPPC CEO, Kylee Deniz, Oklahoma Pork Council state executive, and Maria Zieba, NPPC vice president of government affairs, to kick off the World Pork Expo on June 4 in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Uncertainty is common for farmers. Most of our producers raise pigs and livestock and grow crops,” Stateler says. “You’re used to that uncertainty with the crops – whether it’s going to rain, whether it is going to be dry. The same thing happens on the pork side. But you like it when the markets are calm and easy because that’s one less thing you have to worry about.”
Here’s a breakdown of the key priorities these leaders are focused on now as they try to create more certainty for U.S. pork producers.
1. Trade. “Trade is vitally important for our industry,” Zieba says. “Our top priority remains and will continue to be market access into Vietnam. We see this as a huge opportunity for our U.S. pork exports. Not only because there’s 100 million people in Vietnam whose No. 1 protein consumption is pork, but also as we look at diversifying away from certain markets, Vietnam has an opportunity that is very unique.”
Vietnamese consumers value muscle cuts, but they also eat a lot of offals, she says. The U.S. needs to diversify its customer base for offals because more than 50% are currently destined for China.
“Whenever we have a trade disruption that’s certainly an impact on domestic producers,” Zieba says. “The U.S. pork industry is in a very unique position. We had a huge win earlier this year with China where they approved over 300 of our pork processing plants and our cold storage facilities for pork. We continue to have that access to export product to China. The same cannot be said for some of the other proteins. We’re very thankful for all the hard work and efforts that were made by the administration to make U.S. pork market access a priority into China.”
2. Farm bill. When it comes to getting a farm bill passed, Stateler says they have to take what they can get.
“There’s a lot of things that are going to be missing in the Reconciliation Bill that rural America needs,” he points out. “We need to get a farm bill passed after whatever comes with this reconciliation bill.”
3. Proposition 12. One of the pork industry’s big asks is surrounding Prop 12.
“The industry cannot take a Prop 13 or a Prop 14 coming from someplace else that makes a patchwork of regulations, not only for us as producers, but also for the people who buy our product and who process it and get it out.”
Deniz echoed Stateler’s comments and says the certainty that comes with a farm bill is very important for pig farmers today.
“Whether we’re talking about the three-legged stool of animal health, trade or a Proposition 12 fix, it’s just needed,” Deniz says. “A farm bill matters to us in Oklahoma. It matters to every state where pigs are raised. It matters to everyone in this room.”
Humpheys says there are many other aspects of the farm bill that will still need to be addressed.
“Our ask, and quite honestly our demand, of folks that represent agriculture in D.C. is that we need a farm bill. As part of that farm bill, American agriculture, specifically the pork industry, needs the certainty that comes with a fix to Proposition 12 and a prevention of the patchwork of regulations,” he says. “While that doesn’t fit under one big, beautiful bill, it does still need to be done. That’s going to require a farm bill or some other approach. While we’re partial to the farm bill in agriculture, we’ll take anything.”
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