Pork Producers Want Another $600 Million in Relief

July 22,1999

The National Pork Producers Council wants $600 million more in assistance for hog farmers. The emergency supplemental appropriations bill gave them $150 million but "it is clear that a higher funding level is needed," says NPPC. The extra money is one of eight recommendations the NPPC has in an "economic recovery action plan." The recommendations include:

--Implementing a pork industry humanitarian inventory assistance program to provide humanitarian assistance to targeted countries. The pork would come from hogs bought by USDA from pork producers bidding production into the program.

--Doubling the 50,000 ton Section 416 humanitarian assistance package to Russia. However, the assistance package from last year hasn't been completed yet. The additional 50,000 tons NPPC is asking for would be for delivery this fall and winter.

--Buying pork and pork products for school feeding programs. USDA made record purchases of pork in 1998, but NPPC says pork continues to lag both beef and poultry purchases in volume and value. Accelerated purchases for the breakfast and lunch programs and all other domestic feeding programs should begin immediately.

--Convening a pork crisis summit. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman should convene immediately an emergency pork crisis summit. It should involve meetings, conference calls and written correspondence with retailers, processors, food service operators and foreign buyers to help pork producers recover economically.