RSS Feed for NPPC Press Releases http://www.nppc.org/ Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ FOR THE WEEK ENDING Feb. 3, 2012 Labor Department re-proposes Child farm Labor Law The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division Wednesday announced plans to re-propose the "parental exemption" portion of its rules for child labor in agriculture. Concerns received from agricultural organizations - including NPPC - the public and members of Congress prompted the DOL to withdraw the original set of rules proposed September 2011, prohibiting children under the age of 16 to work in agricultural environments. Until the exemption is final, parental exemption will apply to situations in which the parent or person standing in the friend place of a parent is either a part owner of the farm, a partner in a partnership or an officer of a corporation that owns the farm if the ownership interest in the partnership or corporation is substantial. The DOL is expected to publish the re-proposed rule for public comment by early summer. To read NPPC's comments for the original rule, click here. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26552 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26552 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT FOR THE WEEK ENDING Jan. 27, 2012 NPPC APPLAUDS SUPREME COURT 'DOWNER' LIVESTOCK RULING The U.S. Supreme Court Monday, by unanimous vote, overturned a California law that bans the processing of all non-ambulatory livestock, including hogs. The court said the state law drifted too far into federal jurisdiction over protecting public health and animal welfare. The law demanded non-ambulatory animals at packing plants be immediately euthanized. The high court was asked by the National Meat Association to find that the Federal Meat Inspection Act pre-empts the state statute. The California Legislature approved the law in 2008 after a grotesque video filmed and released by the Humane Society of the United States, showing non-ambulatory, or "downed," cows at a California beef packing plant being dragged and inhumanely prodded to enter the processing line. [The U.S. Department of Agriculture has for many years has forbidden the slaughter of non-ambulatory cattle for human consumption or other uses because of concerns over BSE, or "mad cow" disease. Pigs cannot contract BSE.] A federal district court judge blocked the California law, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco in 2010 overturned the lower court ruling. NPPC, along with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the National Farmers Union filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, arguing that the California law would create an animal health risk and criminalize the work of federal slaughterhouse inspectors. NPPC has pointed out that, after transport from the farm to the packing plant, hogs can become non-ambulatory from fatigue. With rest, the overwhelming majority of them will walk, and processing them poses no food-safety or public-health risk. To read the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, click here. HSUS 'FARM TAKEOVER BILL' INTRODUCED A united group of agricultural organizations, including NPPC, was quick to oppose Monday's introduction of federal legislation born from a 2010 agreement reached by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) with the United Egg Producers. H.R. 3798, the "Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012," seeks to legislate how egg-laying hens are housed. HSUS agreed to forego trying to pass state ballot initiatives that would set egg production practices and to stop 10 years of litigation against and undercover investigations of the egg industry in exchange for egg producers nearly doubling the size of their cages for laying hen houses. In addition to legislating cage sizes, the bill mandates new federal egg labels and sets federal air-quality standards for hen houses. NPPC opposes what it has dubbed the "Farm Takeover Bill" because it would set a dangerous precedent by legislating federal on-farm production practices. NPPC supports the right of producers to use production systems that provide for the well-being of their animals; NPPC does not support federal legislation that specifies how producers should raise their animals. To read NPPC's press release, click here. FOOD, AGRICULTURAL GROUPS BACK U.S.-EU FTA A coalition of food and agricultural organizations led by NPPC in a letter sent Tuesday to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) expressed its support for a free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union. Such an FTA is a likely option to be considered by a joint international working group on jobs and growth chaired by USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht. "Carried out properly," the coalition wrote in its letter to Kirk, "such an agreement would indeed generate economic growth and create many thousands of new jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, this would require that the EU be prepared to negotiate and implement the type of high-standard, 21st-century agreement that is central to the [Obama] administration's trade policy efforts," wrote the coalition. "Free trade deals negotiated by the EU with othe http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26545 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26545 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT A coalition of food and agricultural organizations led by the National Pork Producers Council expressed in a letter sent yesterday to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative its support for a free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26538 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26538 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT In a unanimous decision issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law that bans the processing of all non-ambulatory animals, including hogs. NPPC hailed the ruling. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26536 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26536 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT The National Pork Producers Council criticized congressional legislation introduced today that would prescribe cage sizes for egg-laying hens, saying it would set a "dangerous precedent" for allowing the federal government to regulate on-farm production practices, including animal housing. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26537 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26537 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT FOR THE WEEK ENDING Jan. 20, 2012 NPPC SUBMITS COMMENTS ON EPA'S CAFO RULE NPPC, along with nearly 90 agricultural organizations, filed two sets of comments with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Thursday on the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Reporting Rule. The first set was signed by a coalition of 88 national, state and local agricultural groups. The second set, submitted on behalf of NPPC and the American Farm Bureau Federation, directly addressed the various legal concerns the organizations have with the rule and the challenges the rule will prompt if and when it is finalized. EPA's proposed rule would require large livestock and poultry facilities to submit to EPA substantial confidential farm and business information. The CAFO database rule is designed to provide a clearinghouse for activists on the location of farms and was the product of a sweetheart settlement between the Obama administration and anti-animal agriculture activist groups. NPPC voiced concerns that producers will incur substantial legal liability and that in compiling the information, the bio-security of producers' operations may be compromised. Furthermore, NPPC believes the rule would provide little or no added benefit to improving manure management or protecting water. In December, NPPC Vice President Randy Spronk, a pork producer from Edgerton, Minn., met with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss the pork industry's concerns with the proposed rule. PRESIDENT OBAMA OUTLINES PLAN TO REORGANIZE TRADE AGENCIES President Obama Jan. 13 outlined a plan to consolidate six federal government agencies and departments that focus on business and trade. The president proposed consolidating the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Small Business Administration, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the U.S. Department Commerce's core business and trade functions into a single cabinet-level department focused on trade and expanding market opportunities for U.S. businesses. Notably, the plan would eliminate USTR as a separate agency under the Executive Office of the President. USTR negotiates, enforces and administers the U.S. trade agreements program, as well as coordinates with different entities within the federal government, such as the Department of Agriculture, that have specialized roles in trade. NPPC is opposed to eliminating USTR as a separate, cabinet level agency. U.S. PORK EXPORTS ON TRACK TO REACH $6 BILLION FOR 2011 Export data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for November show that U.S. pork exports are on track to reach a record $6 billion for 2011. November also was a record month for exports with 217,000 metric tons (MT), valued at $598 million, exported globally. The 2011 estimated export value per pig rose 25 percent over 2010 to $55 per pig. In the first 11 months of 2011, the United States has exported 2,039,579 MT valued at $5.5 billion. Year-to-date volume exports have almost exceeded the record set in 2008 of 2,052,314 MT. These record numbers have been driven by strong demand in China, South Korea, Japan and Canada. USDA APPROVES BRAZILIAN PORK FOR EXPORT TO U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lifted the prohibition on Brazilian pork imports following 18 months of discussions over sanitary standards. USDA agreed to recognize Brazilian inspectors as capable of approving slaughterhouses in the state of Santa Catarina; so far, USDA has authorized six processing plants to export pork to the United States. In 2010, USDA recognized Santa Catarina as free of foot-and-mouth disease, clearing the way for processing plant approval. NPPC supports the principle of regionalization and does not object to the recognition of Santa Catarina as being free of foot and mouth disease and other swine diseases such as Classical Swine Fever. However, NPPC believes it http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26535 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26535 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT BILL TO BAN PROCESSING OF ALL NONAMBULATORY LIVESTOCK INTRODUCED Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., for the fifth time in as many Congresses, has introduced legislation that would ban all nonambulatory livestock from entering the food system and require that they be humanely euthanized. The "Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act," H.R. 3704, would amend the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act of 1958. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004 banned nonambulatory beef and dairy cattle from entering the food supply as part the federal government's comprehensive BSE ("mad cow" disease) prevention program. NPPC, which opposes the Ackerman bill, has pointed out that hogs do not get BSE and that the majority of hogs that become nonambulatory do so because of fatigue and, with rest, will recover. There is no food-safety risk with processing such hogs, and all non-ambulatory or fatigued hogs are inspected by USDA Food Safety Inspection Service inspectors and veterinarians for their fitness for processing and entering the human food supply. Banning fatigued hogs would create disposal issues and affect the supply of pork products in the United States, according to NPPC. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26531 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26531 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Pointing out that pork producers depend on risk-management tools, including futures contracts, to deal with the volatility in feed grain and hog prices, the National Pork Producers Council today urged Congress to bolster confidence in the futures market in the wake of the MF Global bankruptcy. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26519 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26519 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT Written Testimony of the National Pork Producers Council On MF Global And Pork Producers' Futures Trading Accounts for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Dec. 19, 2011 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26521 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26521 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NPPC VICE PRESIDENT MEETS WITH USDA, EPA CHIEFS NPPC Vice President Randy Spronk, a pork producer from Edgerton, Minn., Wednesday met with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss issues of concern to the U.S. pork industry. Among those were the proposed Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Reporting Rule related to the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS). The NAEMS study of emissions from livestock and poultry farms was conducted by Purdue University researchers with EPA oversight. EPA intends to hold a series of meetings to explore how the agency will interpret the data and the methodological approach it will utilize as it converts the data into useable emission factors to help producers determine their compliance with federal clean air laws. EPA's proposed CAFO Reporting Rule would require large livestock and poultry facilities to submit to EPA operational information. NPPC raised concerns that producers will incur substantial legal liability and that in compiling the information the bio-security of producers' operations may be compromised. Furthermore, NPPC believes the rule would provide little or no added benefit to improving manure management or protecting water. In a related matter, EPA granted a 30-day extension -- until Jan. 19, 2012 -- to the comment period on the reporting rule. NPPC had requested a 60-day extension to the original Dec. 20 deadline for filing comments. For more information about the proposal, click here. http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26517 http://www.nppc.org/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=26517 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT Test http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Nick Giordano http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Joy Phillippi on Agriculture http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT CAFOs http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Remarks on Animal Welfare http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT test http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT test http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Jill Appell's call to action on the Peru FTA http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Glenn Grimes on Agriculture http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT Joy Phillippi on Packer Ownership; Senate version http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ http://www.nppc.org/multimedia/ Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT