WASHINGTON, D.C., July 8, 2020 – The establishment of a robust Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank—a top, long-term priority for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)—came closer to reality today as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its first significant vaccine purchase. NPPC was instrumental in advocating for establishment of the FMD vaccine…
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 19, 2020 – This afternoon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidance on critical industry workforce that should continue as the country addresses and responds to the coronavirus outbreak; U.S. food and agriculture was included among 16 critical industries. Specifically, DHS recognized as essential a variety of pork production roles. Among…
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 12, 2020 – Thanks to innovation and continuous improvements, U.S. hog farmers are the world’s leading suppliers of high-quality, safe and affordable pork. However, America is in danger of losing its leadership standing due to significant flaws in its current approach to regulating emerging animal breeding technologies, Iowa Pork Producers President Dr. Michael…
KANSAS CITY, MO., March 6, 2020 – At the National Pork Producers Council’s (NPPC) National Pork Industry Forum held here, delegates adopted several important resolutions this week, including those that call on NPPC to: Strengthen efforts to prevent African swine fever (ASF) —an animal disease affecting only pigs and with no human health or food safety risks—and…
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 4, 2020 – The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) thanks President Trump for signing into law on Tuesday legislation (S. 2107) that authorizes funding for 720 new agricultural inspectors at land, air and sea ports to prevent African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases (FAD) from entering the United States. Providing additional…
In October 2019, journalist Lesley Stahl conducted an 80-minute interview with Dr. Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). The “60 Minutes” story that aired on Jan. 5, 2020, included less than two minutes of Dr. Wagstrom’s comments and failed to include critical information about modern pork production. The U.S. pork…
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 17, 2019 – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an additional $19.6 million in funding for more agricultural inspectors at land, air and sea ports to prevent African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases (FAD) from entering the United States. This funding, included in the fiscal year 2020 Department of Homeland…
The headlines tell the story: “Pigs killed in droves as African swine fever wreaks havoc across the globe,” reads one from the New York Daily News. “A terrible pandemic is killing pigs around the world, and U.S. pork producers fear they could be hit next,” reads another from The Washington Post. African swine fever, a…
The U.S. livestock industry provides millions of U.S. jobs and accounts for nearly 6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Thanks to continued diligence by USDA and the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, we have been able to keep numerous foreign animal diseases outside our borders. NPPC is working hard to ensure…
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 1, 2019 – Representatives of the National Pork Producers Council, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to move as quickly as possible to establish a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank. At a press conference today, these…
