The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) strongly supports the Responding to Epidemic Losses and Investing in the Economic Future (RELIEF) for Producers Act of 2020, introduced today by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina).

The bill would:

• Compensate hog and poultry producers who are forced to euthanise or donate animals that can’t be processed into the food supply due to COVID-related packing plant capacity reductions;
• Increase funding for animal health surveillance and laboratories, which have appropriately assisted and shared resources with their public health partners; and
• Revise the Commodity Credit Corporation charter so a pandemic-driven national emergency qualifies for funding.

“We thank Senators Inhofe, Burr, Ernst, Grassley and Tillis for their support of US hog farmers who urgently need federal assistance to address this unprecedented crisis,” said NPPC President Howard “AV” Roth, a producer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin. “While plant capacity has improved, millions of hogs remain backed up on farms due to the COVID-created bottleneck, one that could have a lasting impact on hog farmers. The RELIEF for Producers Act provides a much-needed lifeline to thousands of farmers who could otherwise go out of business, leading to consolidation and contraction of the US pork industry. We urge Congress to work together to quickly pass much-needed legislation addressing this crisis.”

“Farmers and ranchers across the country are working to operate in these unprecedented times,” said Senator Inhofe. “When I spoke with members of the Oklahoma Pork Council in May, we discussed the strain COVID-19 has put on their production cycles and their need for relief moving forward. That is why I am glad to introduce the Relief for Producers Act to provide a framework for producers and ease some of the burden brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation will help livestock and poultry farmers more easily and efficiently navigate a path forward as we battle this crisis. I want to thank the National Pork Producers Council and the Oklahoma Pork Council for their input on this bill and their continued collaboration to ensure Oklahoma pork producers’ interests are advanced in Congress.”

The impact of COVID-19 has caused hog values to plummet, creating a financial disaster for pork producers nationwide who face a collective $5 billion loss for the remainder of the year. Additionally, US pork producers face staggering costs for the millions of hogs that may be euthanised as pigs back up on farms due to ongoing bottlenecks in the pork supply chain. Click here for more information on US pork industry’s response to COVID-related challenges.