The National Pork Producers Council on Tuesday expressed strong support for livestock agriculture provisions in the HEROES Act introduced by House Democrats.

NPPC noted that the bill includes funding for the Agriculture Department to provide:

▪ Compensation for euthanized livestock that can’t be processed into the food supply due to COVID-related packing plant capacity reductions.

▪ Expanded direct payments to livestock farmers who have suffered severe losses as COVID-related market disruptions have caused the value of their livestock to plummet. NPPC noted that it continues to seek the removal of USDA payment caps “to ensure much-needed aid is extended to those farmers who need it most.”

▪ Increased funding for animal health surveillance and laboratories, which have been tapped to perform COVID-19 testing during this human health emergency.

“U.S. pork producers are facing an unprecedented financial and animal welfare crisis,” said Howard “A.V.” Roth, NPPC president and a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wis. “These provisions represent a critical lifeline for hog farmers struggling to weather this storm. We urge Congress to come together quickly on final legislation that includes these provisions.”

“House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson has been a champion for U.S. pork producers and the daunting issues they are facing,” added Roth. “We thank him for his support of these provisions.”