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NPPC urges additional COVID relief for hog farmers

The National Pork Producers Council says hog farmers need immediate relief that another coronavirus stimulus package could provide.

President Howard A.V. Roth says NPPC is seeking compensation for euthanized and donated hogs and modification of the Commodity Credit Corporation so a pandemic drive national emergency qualifies for funding.

“Those producers desperately need this money,” he says. “Now, we are very happy with the COVID money we’ve gotten in the past, but we would not be able to address this situation past COVID because we need to change the CCC guidelines.”

He tells Brownfield NPPC is also seeking additional funding for animal health surveillance and laboratories

“One of the most important things to pork producers to keep foreign animal diseases out of this country and we are working very hard to make sure that is done, but if it isn’t we’re going to need those laboratories.”

Other provisions NPPC would like to see include: additional funds for direct payments to producers without restriction and extension of the Paycheck Protection Program with modifications to make it accessible to more producers.

US hog farmers are facing $5 billion in collective pandemic-related losses this year. And Roth says without federal assistance, the industry will lose more hog farmers and see more consolidation.

Audio: Howard A.V. Roth