Congressman Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) joined Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) on Thursday in sending a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Acting Solicitor General Prelogar to urge the Biden Administration to pursue all legal actions in a recent U.S. district court case that will slow swine inspection line speeds resulting in serious financial harm to U.S. pig farmers. The letter was signed by 59 representatives and 14 senators.
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is calling for a longer stay of the court order or waivers that allow the six plants impacted by a federal district court ruling to continue operating as is until a long-term solution acceptable to all industry stakeholders can be established.
“The impact of this ruling will be devastating to the country’s small and mid-sized hog producers – especially in southern Minnesota. For two decades, six pork processing facilities have been able to operate at higher line speeds, including one in Austin, MN, with little evidence of worker safety concerns,” Hagedorn said in a release. “The NSIS rule would allow more facilities to increase their line speeds and overall processing capacity. If USDA does not take prompt action, the slowing of line speeds will result in less processing capacity, more consolidation in the pork industry, and higher consumer costs.”
NPPC president Jen Sorenson said the damage to U.S. pork producers will be immediate.
“The operational changes impacted plants will be required to implement on June 29 will take time to unwind even if an appeal is filed before the end of August. It’s imperative that the administration act now to preserve industry competition and the livelihoods of small hog farmers,” Sorenson said in a release.
This court ruling will impact producers around the country, but according to Iowa State University Economist Dermot Hayes, the impact will be alarmingly high in Michigan and other states where lost capacity will be as high as 25%.
“Although NSIS is relatively new, Secretary Vilsack oversaw the successful HIMP (HACCP Inspection Models Project) program during his first term as Secretary and he knows how important this rule is to the pork industry,” Grassley said in a release. “Producers have had a hard enough year with all the obstacles surrounding the pandemic. They don’t need the added concern about market disruption with a slowdown in processing and economic loss of excess hogs on the market.”
Johnson agreed and said a reversal of the NSIS rule and reduction in packing capacity will make the pork processing problem even worse for the smaller producers.
“It’s imperative USDA and the DOJ step in to correct this before independent producers are hurt and opportunity is squandered,” Johnson said in a release.
Full text of the letters can be found here and here.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
Court Ruling Weakens U.S. Pork Industry Competition, NPPC Says
Misguided Ruling Could Upend the Lives of Many Hog Farmers, Sorenson Says
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
