Assistance for Pork Producers Requested by Governors
Suggestions made to President Obama.
Compiled by staff
Published: Aug 7, 2009
In a letter to President Obama, the governors of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin asked the administration to take immediate action to help U.S. pork producers through a nearly two-year-old economic crisis. Since September 2007, the U.S. pork industry has lost nearly $4.4 billion, with producers losing an average of $21.37 per pig over the past 21 months.
In their letter the governors asked the Administration to take three steps: Support at least an additional $50 million pork purchase for government feeding programs; remove a spending cap on USDA's Section 32 food-assistance program so that additional purchases of surplus agriculture products, including pork, can be made; and urge China to quickly lift a ban on U.S pork that was put in place because of the H1N1 flu outbreak and to eliminate other barriers to U.S. pork exports.
The governors' letter concluded, "Today, the pork industry is facing an economic crisis that is catastrophic in nature. For the pork industry to remain as vibrant entities in rural communities, we need your prompt actions to assure that our communities and the U.S. pork industry remain competitive world wide."
Don Butler, President of the National Pork Producers Council says U.S. pork producers are grateful to the governors for intervening on their behalf with President Obama. Butler pointed out that these state executives recognize that pork production is a significant value-added industry for their states and for our country.
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