NPPC scored big wins for pork producers in the House Agriculture Committee’s 2024 Farm Bill, the text of which was released this week by panel Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA).
All the U.S. pork industry’s legislative priorities are included in the lower chamber’s five-year agricultural blueprint, including provisions that would:
- Address problems caused by California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale in that state of pork from hogs born to sows raised anywhere in housing that does not meet California’s arbitrary standards.
- Double the funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program, which help promote U.S. exports.
- Provide $233 million for each fiscal year through fiscal 2009 for resources to protect the nation’s food supply from foreign animal diseases, including:
- $10 million a year for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN).
- $70 million a year for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP).
- $153 million a year for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB).
- Codify USDA’s National Detector Dog Training Center, which trains canines used at U.S. ports of entry to detect agricultural contraband.
- Reauthorize and increase funding for the federal Feral Swine Eradication Program.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is expected to release the full text of its Farm Bill soon.
NPPC’s take: “America’s pork producers appreciate Chairman G.T. Thompson’s willingness to listen, put pen to paper, and address the most pressing issues facing the agriculture industry across the country — a prime example of how our government should work,” said NPPC President Lori Stevermer, a pork producer from Easton, Minnesota. “The inclusion of pork producers’ top priorities in the 2024 House Farm Bill is a testament to our industry’s ability to unite and speak up about our common challenges.”
Why it matters: The five-year farm bill sets farm, conservation, forestry, and nutrition policy and authorizes various agricultural programs, including ones related to foreign animal disease preparation and prevention and export promotion.
