Industry Addresses Commitment to People, Pigs and the Planet

According to Checkoff-funded research, animal welfare and responsible environmental practices are top of mind for consumers.1 This includes assurance that farmers are committed to prioritizing animal well-being, reducing their environmental footprint and contributing to the well-being of their communities.

NPB Announces Goals and Metrics

The industry has an action-based and scientific approach to set benchmarks for where the pork industry is today and creates goals for how it will continue to improve in the future. Progress will be measured on the farm and across the industry using tools to make better, data-driven decisions. Visit porkcares.org to view the 2021 Industry Sustainability Report.

Request an On Farm Sustainability Report

For decades, pork producers have been at the forefront of sustainability, embracing advancements that allow them to do more with less. The next step is to document this progress.

To help, Checkoff-funded On-Farm Sustainability Reports highlight continuous improvement efforts available to all producers. The results will be anonymously aggregated for state and national reports.

These confidential, on-farm reports offer immediate value to pig farmers, who own the report data. Current onfarm report participants used their personalized reports to make on-farm improvements for their bottom line. They shared the reports with financial institutions, suppliers and community members.

“Industry-wide, we will continue to face pressures on environmental stewardship of air, soil and water,” says National Pork Board member and Minnesota producer Dale Stevermer. “To defend our ability to operate, we need current, real-life numbers and to be advocates and educators. We need baseline numbers so we can strive for continuous improvement; that is what the industry has built itself on throughout the past 50-60 years.” The data collection process takes about two hours and can be submitted in any format. Key insights from the report may include:

• Promoting biodiversity on farms – for example, planting more trees around our farm;

• Emphasizing a commitment to the community and employment, with salary and benefits, in rural America; and

• Sharing the value of manure when applied at the right levels and soil depth to improve soil health.

Visit porkcheckoff.org to request a free On-Farm Sustainability Report.

USD USDAA’’s F s Fororeign eign Agricultur Agricultural Service al Service Allocates 2023 Allocates F Funds unds

Before the end of 2023, the U . S. Department of A griculture’s Foreign Agr icultural Service (FAS) awarded nearly $20 3 million to help expand export markets for t h e nation’s farm and food produc t s. These funds w e re awarded t o more than 60 organization s t h a t are involved w ith USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Fo reign Market De v elopment Program (FMD).

$175.6 million was allocated by FAS to fiscal 2023 MAP funds to assist 67 nonprofit organizations and cooperatives that support areas such as market research and technical assistance. FAS also provided $27.1 million in the 2023 fiscal year to 20 trade groups representing U.S. agricultural producers.

According to the National Pork Producers Council, NPPC does not directly receive these funds, but continues to lobby Congress to fund each program as one of their Farm Bill priorities. In 2021, MAP and FMD programs benefitted the U.S. pork industry with a record of $8.1 billion products exported.

Agricultur Agricultural P al Prrovisions in the Government ovisions the Government Spending Bill Spending Bill

President Biden signed into law the $1.7 trillion Omnibus Appropriations bill on December 23, 2022. This spending bill funds the government until Sept. 30. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the “USDA is ready to hit the ground running in 2023 to keep expanding our economy from the bottom up and the middle out and ensure that rural communities, farmers, ranchers, and producers are empowered with the tools necessary to thrive.”

The funding package will prioritize economic development in rural America. In addition, the bill included several agricultural items such as disaster assistance, livestock mandatory reporting, and foreign audits.

Wholesale P Wholesale Pork P ork Prices L rices Lower on Se ower on Seasonal Ef asonal Effects, fects, High Slaughter High Slaughter

According to Pork Checkoff, “product markets continue to hold a soft undertone, in part because slaughter at nearly 2.6 million head is near annual highs while retail demand for fresh pork has yet to kick in.” At the end of 2022, ham and pork trim prices had declined due to the holiday season. In addition, pork belly prices have struggled to gain momentum to the overstock of freezer supply.

P Prroposition 12 Update oposition 12

In 2018, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) filed a legal challenge to Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of pork, eggs, and veal not produced to arbitrary production standards. Standards include farmers providing more space for egg laying hens, breeding sows, and calves raised for veal. Proposition 12 originally was passed by California voters in November 2018. The legal challenge asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike Proposition 12 as it is invalid under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In March 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the challenge in the fall of 2022. The Biden administration and others representing the U.S. economy filed amicus briefs in support of N PPC’s case. In September, California announced it finally completed the Prop 12 implementation the same day NPPC/AFBF was filed a reply brief. On October 11, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments.

For more information and current status on the issue, visit www.nppc.org/ca-prop-12/.

F Final Rule of Defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Released

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a final rule defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) on December 30, 2022. The final rule will cover the waters that were initially aimed to be protected in the Clean Water Act.

With the debate over WOTUS nearly reaching 50 years, the first rule was issued during the Obama administration. This rule included navigable waters, upstream waters, and certain streams farmers use for drainage and irrigation. During the Trump administration, navigable waters were more narrowly defined with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR).

According to NPPC, this final rule causes concern for pork producers as it may require more CWA permits, including many drainage features found in or next to farm fields.

esults: NPB Prromotes Br omotes Brand in and 2022

In a constant effort to combat the myths about pig production, National Pork Board has focused on key areas to improve the Real Pork brand. NPB has focused heavily on demonstrating that pork is the most sustainably produced meat through quantifying on-farm practices and positive environmental outcomes. As of November 2022, more than 300 operations representing 2 million pigs have been enrolled in these reports.

On-farm sustainability reports also quantify the value and impact of manure application and adopting in-field practices. Through data recorded, Pork Checkoff reported $8.6 million dollars saved.

In addition, NPB focused o n fin ding new opportunities t o grow pork sa les and creating v alue for ground pork in groc e ry stores. Through Pork Checkoff- funded projec t s, gro und pork is on t rack to surpass 2019 sales.