For the Week Ending September 6, 2019

HURRICANE DORIAN HOVERING OVER NORTH CAROLINA; HOG FARMS REMAIN LARGELY UNAFFECTED
Hurricane Dorian made landfall over Cape Hatteras, N.C., on Friday morning as a category 1. The storm was skirting along North Carolina’s coast, and according to the North Carolina Pork Council, there are no reports of significant impacts to the more than 2,000 hog farms in the state. “Surveying by the North Carolina Pork Council indicates some scattered farm-level power outages. On-farm generators are operating with ample fuel supplies. Wind damage has been minimal. Livestock and feed movements are beginning to occur in multiple locations,” the council explained. “Farm anaerobic treatment lagoons, which are used for manure management in protection of the environment, have been well-managed throughout the summer growing season. Rainfall amounts from the hurricane have not negatively impacted treatment lagoons,” it added. The full North Carolina Pork Council statement is here.  

U.S., CHINA TO HOLD NEW TRADE TALKS NEXT MONTH
On Thursday, the U.S. and China agreed to hold high-level trade talks in early October in Washington, D.C. Trade teams from both countries will hold consultations in mid-September before the high-level talks next month. The next round of talks come shortly after China imposed additional tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. imports, including an extra 10 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. pork. This translates into U.S. pork producers facing a 72 percent tariff rate. China is the largest pork-consuming nation in the world and due to China’s trade retaliation, U.S. pork producers are missing out on an unprecedented sales opportunity due to African swine fever ravaging the Chinese swine herd. NPPC urges the Trump administration to expeditiously resolve trade disputes with China, so that all punitive tariffs on U.S. pork are eliminated.  

PORK PRODUCERS TO LOBBY CONGRESS NEXT WEEK ON INDUSTRY ISSUES  
Next week, NPPC is hosting its fall Legislative Action Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11-12. The biannual fly-in draws more than 120 pork producers from around the country to meet with Congress to discuss various issues, including ensuring Congressional ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), appropriations funding for 600 new U.S. agricultural inspectors to prevent the spread of foreign animal diseases to the U.S., African swine fever safeguards and regulatory oversight of gene-edited livestock with USDA, not the FDA. 

EPA INVITING COMMENT ON POLICIES TO STREAMLINE USE OF NUTRIENT REDUCTION PROGRAMS
As part of its efforts to improve water quality, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday invited comment on new policy proposals designed to streamline use of nutrient reduction programs. These programs allow businesses, municipalities and other organizations to meet emission or other environmental discharge requirements by investing in “equivalent (or superior) pollution reductions from other sources at a lower cost.” Nutrient reduction programs could provide a market in which pollution credits are bought and sold, giving organizations another option for meeting their environmental impact objectives. The EPA drafted the policies to stimulate use of nutrient reduction credit programs which, in their view, are not realizing their full potential. NPPC is reviewing the policy proposals and expects to submit comment to the EPA. You can read a full copy of EPA’s announcement here.