Swine producers head into 2020 with momentum

by | Dec 18, 2019 | 5 Ag Stories, News

Two-thousand-and-nineteen ?was a year full of challenges,? said David Herring, president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). However, Herring believes United States pork producers are in a better environment than they were this time last year.

He speaks to efforts pushing them forward into the new year.

United States pork producers will ?head into 2020 with momentum.? This new energy stems from progress and success on multiple fronts, according to Herring. He speaks to such accomplishments, which range from trade relations to regulatory protocols.

?NPPC was relentless in its push to end the metal tariff dispute in Mexico. (We) made it widely known that U.S. pork producers were at the tip of the trade retaliation spear, to the tune of $12 loss per hog from Mexico?s tariffs,? Herring said. ?We were thrilled when the tariffs were lifted in May, and the subsequent movement of USMCA.?

?The preservation of zero-tariff pork trade in North America was a cause for celebration,? according to Herring. Furthermore, NPPC looks forward to the signing of this piece of legislation.

Additionally, producers rejoiced over a deal struck between the United States and Japan.

?Another tremendous win for U.S. pork producers this year was the signing of the U.S.-Japan trade deal. Shortly (after) it became clear that TPP was not in the cards for the United States, NPPC advanced an advocacy strategy in Washington and Tokyo, (which) resulted in a critical early harvest trade deal with Japan that puts U.S. pork producers back on a level playing field with international competitors,? Herring said.

Economists expect the deal to boost U.S. pork exports to Japan by 40-percent over the next 15 years.