July
3, 2001
Contact: Steven
Cohen; 202-347-3600
cohens@nppc.org
NPPC FOCUSES ON LEGISLATION, REGULATORY
ISSUES
The National Pork
Producers Council (NPPC), following the separation as mandated by the
settlement agreement between USDA and pork producers, will concentrate
on an ambitious legislative and regulatory agenda that includes trade
policy, the environment, food safety, animal health, biosecurity issues
and the upcoming Farm Bill.
"Pork producers
continue to set policy for the National Pork Producers Council, which
now will focus on legislative and regulatory issues that impact the
economic viability of pork producers and the pork industry," said NPPC
President Barb Determan, a pork producer from Early, Iowa.
"Whether it’s
securing resources for conservation technical assistance in the Farm
Bill or fighting for funding to upgrade the animal disease research
facility at Ames, Iowa, NPPC will be leading the charge."
Determan stressed
that NPPC will be playing a key role in advancing the cause of free
trade and specifically, market access for pork producers. She added that
NPPC will also be working with government agencies to ensure that new
environmental regulations affecting livestock facilities, commonly known
as AFO-CAFO regulations, are affordable, achievable, sustainable and are
based on sound science.
"Pork producers will
continue to work aggressively with the U.S. government to open new
markets for U.S. pork and thereby help ensure a brighter future for our
producers," Determan said. "Pork exports have doubled since 1994, but
there are still many countries that deny U.S. pork imports through high
tariffs or non tariff barriers. We also want to ensure that EPA’s new
permitting regulations for pork facilities are fair and equitable for
producers of all types and sizes. Pork producers have a long and
distinguished record of proactively working to improve our environmental
performance, but no one should be driven out of business by costs
associated with new regulations."
As part of the
transition and separation required by the settlement agreement reached
between USDA and pork producers in February, NPPC’s general contractor
agreement with the National Pork Board has ended. NPPC will continue
working closely with its members – the 44 state pork producer
associations. During the last joint National Pork Industry Forum in
March, delegates voted to create a task force to create the future
structure of the National Pork Producers Council. The Task Force has met
and continues to move forward with the restructuring of NPPC as required
by the delegates.
For details on the
transition and separation of the pork industry organizations, see the
NPPC website at http://www.nppc.org/.
Note to editors:
The separation of the National Pork Producers Council from the
checkoff-funded activities of the National Pork Board went into effect
July 1, 2001. For questions or comments on legislative and
regulatory issues, contact Steven Cohen at 202-347-3600. For questions
or comments on checkoff-funded activities, contact Cindy Cunningham at
515-223-2600.