National Pork Board to Meet During World Pork Expo
US - The National Pork Board will take the next steps in its planning process for 2009 during its meeting this week at World Pork Expo in Des Moines.The board will meet Thursday afternoon at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
The board earlier this year identified five critical issues it will address with resources from the Pork Checkoff during 2009. The board this week will prioritize those issues. The critical issues are:
- The competitive advantage for U.S. pork
- The safeguard and expansion of international markets
- Domestic pork expenditures
- The trust and image of the industry and its products
- Human Capital - the development of producer leadership and technical advisors and the growth of a quality workforce.
Additionally, the board will identify desired outcomes from each of those critical issues. When the board completes its work, producer-led committees and Pork Checkoff staff will begin developing tactics to achieve the outlined goals. Those tactics will be presented in September to a group of approximately 50 producers selected by the board to represent the interests of all U.S. producers and importers. That group will recommend a budget to the board for its consideration in November.
Also on Thursday, the board will get progress reports on two major 2008 goals: the Pork on the Move program and the Responsible Pork Initiative.
Pork on the Move, The Other White Meat® Tour, is a mobile marketing tour. Using a 40-foot-long trailer equipped with grills, stoves and display areas, the tour is introducing pork to targeted consumers at 23 high-traffic festivals and events across the country this summer. A second trailer is being used by state pork associations to reach consumers at events in their states.
The Responsible Pork Initiative is a cooperative effort by the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, state pork associations and allied industries to build and maintain trust between producers and their customers. The effort is built on a Statement of Ethical Principles adopted earlier this year by delegates at Pork Industry Forum.