As meat plant disruptions continue to impact the protein sector, hog farmers share their first hand experiences with the National Pork Producers Council.
With the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program delivering direct payments to help farmers. NPPC president Howard Roth says that they appreciate the assistance, but the scope of challenges the hog industry faces is much greater than that.
Roth states, “We appreciates that CFAP appears to reach more pork producers than those included in USDA’s trade retaliation relief, but it falls short of what is needed to sustain thousands of impacted producers. Our hog farmers are facing a significant financial and emotional crisis and are set to lose more than $5 billion dollars collectively as the value of hogs have plummeted. They also face staggering costs associated with depopulation and disposal.” He goes on to say that the NPPC is asking the Senate to pass the agricultural provisions in the HEROES Act.
Iowa Pork Producers president, Mike Paustian, says that low prices are not the only challenges facing producers. He notes, “The farmers that are being forced into euthanization, it’s a double-whammy. Not only are they getting nothing for that animal they’ve spent considerable time and resources on, but they’re also incurring the costs of euthanasia and disposal.”
CFAP puts $1 billion dollars towards hog producers, which is a far cry from the $5 billion dollars in losses the sector has sustained. The HEROES Act was passed by the House on May 15th. The Senate is working to introduce companion legislation.