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NPPC Urges USDA to Intervene in Hog Court Ruling
USAgNet - 06/01/2021

The National Pork Producers Council urged the USDA to intervene in a recent federal district court ruling that, left unchallenged, will result in a 2.5 percent loss in pork packing plant capacity nationwide, and more than $80 million in reduced income for small U.S. hog farmers, according to an analysis by Dr. Dermot Hayes, an economist with Iowa State University.

The federal court's decision, which takes effect at the end of June, struck down a provision of USDA's New Swine Inspection System allowing for faster harvest facility line speeds. NSIS, initiated during the Clinton administration and evaluated at five pilot plants over 20 years, was approved for industry-wide adoption in 2019.

"We've modernized these plants to handle the line speeds. We're dealing with a rule that's 50 years old, and we don't operate in that technology phase today. We're asking the USDA to seek the stay and appeal the case. We definitely think the ruling is misguided," said NPPC President-Elect Terry Wolters during an AgriTalk interview.

One day after NPPC's public offensive, USDA issued a notice that processing plants operating under NSIS should prepare to revert to the slower line speed by the end of June.


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