The policy panel at the World Pork Expo recently focused on strategic paths for the industry to secure policy victories at both the national and state levels. Pat Hord of Ohio, President-Elect of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), highlighted several critical, unresolved issues facing pork producers.
Key Trade and Animal Health Policies
Among the top priorities for the NPPC is the renewal of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The trade pact is vital for maintaining stable and robust trade relations with neighboring countries.
“One of the big issues for our industry is the renewal of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which is extremely important for trade with our neighboring countries,” Hord said.
Beyond international trade, safeguarding domestic animal health remains a primary focus. Managing the U.S. swine herd effectively requires robust oversight of foreign animal disease protection measures, including programs such as the U.S. Ship Initiative.
“U.S. Ship is an important piece of our animal health, being able to manage that for the U.S. swine herd,” Hord noted.
Labor Deficits and Legislative Priorities
At the farm level, the industry continues to grapple with operational headwinds, most notably a severe shortage of agricultural workers.
“Other issues that are at the farm level are the critical workforce shortages that are on our farms every day,” Hord explained.
In addition to workforce challenges, the NPPC is closely monitoring nutrition policy, advocating for a timely extension of the Farm Bill, and seeking a definitive fix to California’s Proposition 12, which imposes specific housing mandates on producers selling pork into the state.
Navigating a Divided Political Landscape
The current political climate in Washington, D.C., heavily influences how the NPPC approaches these legislative challenges. Hord emphasized that extreme partisanship requires the council to maintain a strictly bipartisan strategy.
“We know there is a lot of partisanship and a very divided country across party lines,” Hord said. “As NPPC, we have to make sure that we are focused and bipartisan as we approach these issues.”
This strategy extends beyond Washington. The NPPC is adapting its outreach to engage states with minimal agricultural presence that are increasingly influencing national food production policies.
“We’ve seen where states that may not have much agriculture begin to exert influence on what we do in food production,” Hord said. “And so we’ve had to come up with different strategies of how we may have outreaches to those states. We really have to continue to remain effective communicators, as really nobody tells the story better than us.”
Behind-the-Scenes Advocacy
While grassroots efforts by producers visiting Washington or state capitals are crucial, Hord underscored the ongoing, quiet diplomacy carried out by the council’s professional staff. This includes international travel and direct engagement with administration officials and congressional leaders.
“A lot of it is behind the scenes where our staff really leads the charge here in this area,” Hord said. “They may be traveling to other countries or being a part of the conversation.”
These established relationships ensure that when producers or executive officers participate in legislative “fly-ins,” they are positioned directly with high-level decision-makers.
“The good thing is our staff is very well connected within the administration and within Capitol Hill,” Hord noted. “And so when we do a fly-in, or we as officers end up traveling to Washington, D.C., they do a great job of putting us in the room at the highest levels of government and being able to have those conversations.”
Looking Ahead: A Proactive Stance
The NPPC aims to shift toward a more offensive policy posture, anticipating challenges and shaping public policy before it impacts operations.
“Our staff’s job is to wake up and to think about what impacts could happen to our industry and what should we be proactively helping shape that public policy area,” Hord said. “We’ve been charged to be more on the offense at NPPC.”
Acknowledging that the industry will always face opposition from groups seeking to limit the success of commercial pork production, Hord reiterated the council’s commitment to advocacy.
“There’s always going to be challenges, and there’s going to be people that don’t want U.S. pork producers to be successful,” Hord concluded. “But our job as NPPC is to identify those things and continue to push forward to help our U.S. pork industry be successful.”
