Senators Urge Glickman to Send Russia Pork

October 5, 1999

Some 35 senators are urging Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to include pork and pork products in any U.S. food assistance package to Russia. But, says one news report, Russia may not want pork. Russia didn't ask for pork in the last food aid package but wound up taking 50,000 tons anyway.

"We urge (USDA) to begin as soon as possible to develop a food assistance program for 2000 so that deliveries can occur in late 1999 and early 2000," the senators told Glickman in a letter. "We hope you share our perspective that continuing to include pork and pork products in that program is justified."

Russia has asked the United States for additional food assistance; Glickman announced that a few days ago. It will be the second consecutive year that Russia has requested food aid from the United States.

REUTERS, however, reports that Russia did not ask the United States for additional pork in its latest request. The report quotes an unnamed USDA official who also notes that Moscow did not ask for meat when it sought the first food aid package last year, but U.S. officials managed to include it in the final shipments.

"While meat production has declined in Russia, there is a substantial oversupply of pork in the United States," the senators told Glickman. "Indeed, pork production had increased in the United States during the mid-1990s to a large degree in anticipation of strong demand growth in the Asian market like that which had occurred in 1995-96. However the fall-off in Asian demand helped drive U.S. pork prices to record low levels."