Governors Request Relief for U.S. Pork Producers

DES MOINES, Iowa—Nine governors from key pork-producing states sent a letter on Aug. 7 to President Obama requesting the government purchase an additional $50 million in pork for its nutrition programs. The group also asked the president to eliminate a ceiling on how much surplus product the USDA can buy and expand export markets in China.

This relief is critical for an industry that's been hurt by high commodity prices coupled with consumer backlash due to erroneous tie-ins between H1N1 flu in humans and swine flu in hogs, said the governors from Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, writing, "Today, the pork industry is facing an economic crisis that is catastrophic in nature.”

Since the H1N1 flu outbreak emerged last spring, pork producers have lost $330 million in profits, they said. The governors added losses through October could exceed $1 billion and deal a crippling blow to the rural economy. "As leaders of our states, we understand the U.S. pork industry provides about 550,200 jobs in various aspects of the industry ranging from producers to input suppliers to processors and handlers," the governors wrote.

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