At the Oklahoma Pork Congress in Oklahoma City, Farm Director, KC Sheperd had the chance to talk with the CEO of the National Pork Producer’s Council, Bryan Humphreys, about NPPC’s priorities regarding the 2023 Farm Bill and more.
“As we talk about the Farm Bill, our priorities wrap around the need for foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness,” Humphreys said. “A lot of that goes toward funding for the national veterinary stockpile that goes towards funding for the disease labs and the vaccine banks out there. It also goes out to things like feral swine eradication, which is certainly an issue right here in Oklahoma.”
Other asks for the 2023 Farm Bill, Humphreys said, include the Beagle Brigade, which he said is one of the best lines of defense to keep products from African Swine Fever positive countries out of the U.S.
“These little dogs will run around and smell the bags and do a phenomenal job, if folks have seen it, at smelling bags and travelers coming into the country and ensuring we are able to identify if they have those products on them and to dispose of those products properly to keep them out of the country,” Humphreys said.
To summarize, Humphreys said the NPPC’s most important “asks” in the 2023 Farm Bill involve the success of foreign animal disease prevention, foreign animal disease preparedness, feral swine eradication, and the Beagle Brigade.
Humphreys said there is also the need for a Proposition 12 and Question 3 solution.
“As we look at what states are now doing, looking at the Supreme Court’s ruling and their ability to legislate outside of their state borders and the challenges that it is going to create not just for the swine industry but candidly for our entire economy- we would call on Congress to find a solution to that through federal preemption of some sort,” Humphreys said.
Proposition 12 is being implemented in California, Humphreys said, and as of July 1st, those products moving into the state will have to be compliant with Proposition 12.
“That means farms are going to have made that conversion; they are going to have to have those pigs in the system to be able to get that product into California,” Humphreys said. “We are also dealing with the challenge in Massachusetts on Question 3. There has been a delay of that until August 23.”
Humphreys said NPPC continues to have conversations with Massachusetts in efforts to come to a solution.
“We know there are other states looking at doing similar things but different, but again regulating outside of their borders,” Humphreys said.
Humphreys urges producers to call on members of Congress, if given the chance to help in these solutions for the pork industry and animal ag in general.
“This is not an issue for Republicans, and it is not an issue for Democrats,” Humphrey said. “This is an issue for the American consumer, and I think everyone in Oklahoma agriculture could get behind that.”
