The farm bill is the focus of many conversations taking place this week in Washington, D.C., as the nation’s pork producers gather to meet with members of Congress during the National Pork Producers Council’s (NPPC) Spring Fly-In.
“This is a conversation we’ve been having for a while,” says Bryan Humphreys, NPPC CEO. “We need a bipartisan solution and recognize there’s some balance we have to have here. But as we look forward, our goal is to ensure there is not a patchwork of 50 different regulations across the country. We need to ensure we can provide stability to our producers so they can do what’s right for their farms and for their animals, and make sure they can raise those animals in the best way they know how on their farms.”
Humphreys says there are a lot of options when it comes to the farm bill. That’s why NPPC continues to meet with both the House and the Senate and with Republicans and Democrats to find a bipartisan solution.
From a producer standpoint, NPPC president and Minnesota pork producer Lori Stevermer says the patchwork of regulations producers are concerned about is real.
“Even a producer who has made the change to become Proposition 12 compliant is worried about what the next state could do. Maybe that’s 28, 29 or 30 square feet. We need certainty, and whatever language gets us there is very important,” Stevermer says.
Rob Brenneman, an Iowa pork producer and NPPC vice president, says these patchwork regulations are expensive.
“Every time we have to make a change on the floor to accommodate a certain program, it’s expensive. And that expense gets passed right on to the consumer,” Brenneman says. “Prop 12 has created chaos in our industry, and we need some peace. We’re always focused on the welfare of the animal and providing a quality product to the consumer at an affordable price. That’s what this is about.”
Of course, the expense to consumers is a key concern for the U.S. pork industry, explains Scott Hays, NPPC immediate past president and a producer from Missouri.
“We’ve said it a number of times, consumers are going to have a choice at the meat counter, and producers have to have a choice on the farm. It’s really a package deal. We’re trying to do what’s best for consumers by providing them with a high-quality protein that’s affordable,” Hays says.
This patchwork really hits lower-income consumers, says Duane Stateler, NPPC president-elect and a producer from Ohio.
“It creates a direct problem for those who can afford the least,” Stateler says. “It results in more of a food desert than what we’ve already established in some areas in the United States.”
Because of these concerns, producers are digging into real conversations about the state of the pork industry in Washington, D.C., to create greater understanding of how the farm bill can help make a difference that impacts both producers and consumers.
“Two of the things we were concerned about happening with Prop 12 and excess regulations – chaos and higher food prices – they have happened,” Stevermer points out.
