“We need action now,” urges National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president Terry Wolters. He’s participating in the spring Capitol Hill fly-in of NPPC with nearly 100 producers from across the country. This is the first time in two years that producers have been able to gather in person for NPPC’s Legislative Action Conference.
Leading the public policy issues to be discussed in detail this week are preparing for and preventing foreign animal diseases, addressing an agricultural labor shortage, and increasing pork exports.
“Challenges facing our industry continue to evolve, and we hope our efforts this week help lawmakers understand why these issues are so important to the livelihoods of producers and the future of our industry,” says Wolters, who is also the owner of Stoney Creek Farms in Pipestone, Minn. “But we need action now on those three matters so producers can continue providing safe, nutritious pork to consumers worldwide. The fly-in allows producers to use their voices and tell their stories to compel representatives to take swift action on these issues.”
Producers will urge lawmakers to support additional funding for foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness efforts, particularly around African swine fever (ASF), NPPC reports. For the first time in more than four decades, ASF was detected in the Western Hemisphere last July. NPPC is requesting funding for fiscal 2023 for additional U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural inspectors; for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which provides disease surveillance and diagnostic support in cases of large-scale animal disease outbreaks; and for additional staff for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Services.
Producers will implore Senate and House members to expand the H-2A visa program to year-round agricultural workers, including packing plant employees, in an effort to address the growing labor shortage. Currently, the visa only allows for temporary, seasonal farm laborers. NPPC says the pork industry supports providing a pathway to legal status for foreign-born agricultural workers already in the United States.
“Employment in hog farming has declined in recent years despite growing labor needs and rising wages. As a key economic driver, hog farming is vital to prosperity in rural America and we need Congress to take action on H2-A visa reform,” Wolters says.
Pork producers will lobby lawmakers on the importance of trade to the industry, urging the Biden administration to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The 11-country CPTPP has almost 500 million consumers and $13.5 trillion of GDP.
“The U.S. was part of a previous agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but President Trump withdrew from the TPP before it became effective. Producers also will request that the administration negotiate a more ambitious Indo-Pacific Economic Framework deal, one that includes agriculture and addresses nontariff barriers to U.S. products, including pork,” NPPC says.
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