Capital Update – For the Week Ending Dec. 13, 2024

Dietary Committee Recommends Eating Less Red Meat  |  EPA Finalizes New Rule Limiting Rodenticide Use  |  Coalition Asks Dockworkers, Port Operators to Work on New Labor Agreement

Dietary Committee Recommends Eating Less Red Meat

What happened: The advisory committee for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued its scientific report for the 2025 guidelines, recommending that Americans eat more plant-based protein and less red meat.

Despite scientific evidence about meat’s role in a healthy diet, the committee is advising the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), which update the dietary guidelines every five years, to write federal nutrition recommendations that limit protein from red and processed meats and increase the consumption of plant-based proteins, including beans, peas, and lentils. The committee also recommended reorganizing the order of the Protein Foods Group, listing beans, peas, and lentils first; nuts, seeds, soy products, and seafood second; and meat, poultry, and eggs last.

NPPC’s take: As NPPC stated in October after the Committee released its draft report, the organization does not agree with the advisory committee’s recommendation to replace animal-based proteins with plant-based proteins. NPPC pointed out that when animal-based protein is reduced and replaced with plant-based protein, there are nutrient gaps and a decrease in essential amino acid bioavailability. The scientific data was insufficient to recommend a reduction in red meat and a replacement with plant-based protein foods. To the contrary, the scientific data supports the dietary need for animal sourced protein. Pork provides lean protein, ammino acids, and multiple key nutrients at a low caloric cost.

“Animal protein consumption is an important and vital component of a healthy, sustainable diet,” said NPPC Vice President and Iowa pork producer Rob Brenneman. “NPPC will continue its work to make sure the health and nutrition interests of the American public are preserved in the [2025] Dietary Guidelines.”

Why it matters: The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee helps shape the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are written by USDA and HHS to provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, help reduce risks of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. The guidelines inform all federal nutrition programs, including school breakfast and lunch, and provide dietary recommendations used by health professionals.

EPA Finalizes New Rule Limiting Rodenticide Use

What happened: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a regulation on rodenticides that would require farmers to hire or become certified applicators to use them on farms to control vermin.

EPA claims its rule will reduce or eliminate the negative effects of rodenticides on non-target species, including threatened and endangered species covered by the Endangered Species Act. The regulation, which also limits the purchase of rodenticides, will require licensing of farmers to use these tools, as well as incorporation of various new practices associated with their use.

Most importantly, these regulations will likely reduce the overall availability of rodenticides, and the ease of obtaining them. Farmers will face higher costs for these vital disease management tools and suffer increased loss of feed grains to rodents, raising their greenhouse gas footprint. Ultimately though, consumers will feel the effect of these regulations through further food price increases.

NPPC and other livestock and poultry organizations in public comments on a proposed rodenticide regulation asked EPA to gather more information about rodenticides’ alleged harm to endangered species before finalizing the rule.

Currently, farmers and ranchers rely on state departments of agriculture and the Land Grant University/Extension network for science-based best practice recommendations to ensure responsible use of rodenticides.

Why it matters: Rodenticides are an important part of the agriculture industry. Uncontrolled mice and rats have a detrimental effect on the environment as well as farms and ranches. In addition to destroying crops, rodents transmit bacteria and viruses that can infect animals and cause diseases. They also consume and spoil feed, which increases the environmental footprint of farms and raises food prices for consumers. 

Coalition Asks Dockworkers, Port Operators to Work on New Labor Agreement

What happened: A coalition of 268 agricultural and business organizations, including NPPC, asked dockworkers and port operators on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico to return to the bargaining table to hammer out a new labor agreement to ensure the flow of goods into and out of the United States continues.

In the Dec. 6 letter to Harold Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents dockworkers, and David Adam, chairman and CEO of the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents port terminal operators, the organizations asked the two sides to reach a new contract before the current one expires Jan. 15. The existing labor agreement extended the previous contract, which expired Sept. 30, and followed a three-day strike by dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas.

NPPC’s take: In its letter to the ILA and USMX, the coalition pointed out that the “only way to resolve … issues and come to an agreement is to actually stay at the negotiating table. The continuing start and stop of the negotiations leads to further uncertainty in the supply chain, which continues to cause challenges.”

Why it matters: The U.S. pork industry depends on exports, which annually account for about a quarter of all sales and contribute significantly to every producer’s bottom line. About 60% of U.S. pork exports are transported by ocean freight, with nearly 45% being shipped from East Coast and Gulf ports. Chilled pork, for example, is sent out of those ports to markets in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Port disruptions, including dockworker strikes and port lockouts, can jeopardize the delivery of perishable commodities, costing agricultural producers millions of dollars and, potentially, lost foreign customers.