The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that the Dominican Republic (DR) has confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF). The cases were confirmed as part of a cooperative surveillance program between the U.S. and the DR. The U.S. remains free of ASF, which is an animal disease affecting only pigs with no human health implications. USDA notes there …
Pork Producers Urge Congress to Address Comprehensive Labor Reform
According to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the U.S. pork industry is suffering from a labor shortage that could increase production costs and consumer food prices if not addressed through visa reform to provide better access to the foreign-born workers on which it depends. And NPPC President Jen Sorenson testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about this shortage. …
Animal Ag Organizations Launch Protein PACT
U.S. animal agriculture groups Monday announced the Protein PACT. The coalition is the first joint initiative designed to accelerate momentum and verify progress toward global sustainable development goals across the animal protein sector. The Protein PACT was submitted to the UN Food Systems Summit as a sustainability game changer, and sustainable livestock and poultry production will be featured in a …
Clarifying the Product of the USA Label
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of the USA” label, which will inform a forthcoming rulemaking on this topic. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said “American consumers depend upon accurate, transparent labels to obtain important information about the food they consume. American farmers and ranchers depend upon those same labels to convey information about …
Strong Variety Meat Demand Drives Record Month for Red Meat Exports
We told you last week that for the month of June, both U.S. beef and pork export values shattered previous records that were set back in May. Joe Schuele, with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), has details on how strong variety meat demand helped drive the record month. A detailed summary of red meat export results is available on …
Meat Institute Opposes Government Intervention in Meat Market
The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) opposed recent action to make changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act. In a statement, the organization says, President Biden’s executive order calling for the Department of Agriculture to change the Packers and Stockyards rules will have unintended consequences for consumers and producers. Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts states, “Government intervention …
Deadline Nearing to Apply for ADAI Relief Program
Back in April, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) announced they were administering the Alabama Agriculture Relief Program (AARP) to provide USDA relief funds to farmers who suffered losses due to Hurricane Michael in 2018. While the original deadline to apply was June 25th, they want to remind those who experienced necessary expenses related to losses of beef …
USDA Supporting Expanded Meat Processing Capabilities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced intentions to make significant investments to expand processing capacity and increase competition in meat and poultry processing to make agricultural markets more accessible, fair, competitive, and resilient for American farmers and ranchers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA will be investing $500 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand meat and poultry processing …
NIFA Invests $14 Million in Animal Health and Disease Research
The Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of $14 million in research to protect agricultural animals from disease. The grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Diseases of Agricultural Animals program area priority. NIFA director Carrie Castille says, “This research will help better understand, diagnose, control and prevent diseases in …
Broad-Based Growth Drives U.S. Beef and Pork Exports to New Heights
According to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), both U.S. beef and pork export values shattered previous records set back in May. Fueled by impressive growth in a wide range of destinations, beef exports also reached a new volume high in May, while pork export volume was the …