Senate Ag Committee Takes Up Important Pork Issues in Farm Bill Hearing
Understanding the environment farmers are operating in was top of mind for U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, during his opening remarks at the hearing entitled “Farm Bill 2023: Trade and Horticulture.”
"In December, the year-over-year consumer price index settled at 6.5%. The annual average inflation in 2022 was 8%—the highest in more than four decades. Inflation is hammering the country and is not yielding any time soon. In the farm sector, this was seen in record-high production expenses including fertilizer, fuel, labor, land, taxes, interest and feed costs among others. The only saving grace for many farmers was relatively high commodity prices—and backing those higher prices was a surge in agricultural exports," Boozman said.
U.S. agricultural exports increased by 14% to a record of nearly $200 billion during this last fiscal year, he pointed out. As headwinds on trade develop, he said it’s important to have a focused and proactive trade agenda to support farm and rural economies. He noted that the farm bill contains several programs intended to assist with trade promotion activities, including the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development program.
"Trade only works if trading partners live up to the agreements they sign," Boozman said. "When they don’t, they must be held accountable. I am pleased that one of the first official acts of Ambassador Doug McKalip and Under Secretary Alexis Taylor, was to travel to Mexico and appropriately confront its government for proposing to ban imports of U.S. biotech corn, a significant departure from science-based trade policy. As many countries around the world advance anti-farmer and anti-production policies, the U.S. must actively promote and defend science-based technologies to help America’s farmers and ranchers continue to feed, fuel and clothe the world. Global food security will only improve if we embrace scientific advancements that allow for more productive, and sustainable agricultural production."
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauded the first Farm Bill hearing of the 118th Congress in a statement on Wednesday, expressing their appreciation that the Senate Agriculture Committee is taking up issues important to the pork industry.
In 2021, the U.S. exported $8.1 billion worth of pork to more than 100 countries, increasing the average value of each pig marketed by nearly $63. These exports also support over 100,000 American jobs, NPPC pointed out in a statement.
"Congress must provide strong investments in both the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs. A wide swath of U.S. agricultural commodities have utilized these export promotion programs, generating a net return of $24.50 for every dollar spent and creating 225,800 full-and part-time jobs across the U.S. economy. We look forward to a Farm Bill that benefits our producers and every American," NPPC said.
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