North American Meat Institute to House Ag Subcommittee: Meat and Poultry Industry Facing Headwinds, Remains Resilient with Record Production
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May
17, 2023
CONTACT:
Sarah Little
(443) 440-0029
WASHINGTON, DC – At a hearing of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, Bryan Burns, Vice President and Associate General Counsel of the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) said the meat and poultry industry was facing economic headwinds, challenges in the courts and hurdles with new regulations but remains resilient with record production.
“I want to emphasize that the industry is incredibly resilient, despite claims to the contrary,” said Burns. “Against challenges such as COVID, supply chain disruptions, labor availability, and the impact of drought, beef production set new records for four consecutive years from 2019 through 2022. Pork production has seen its highest four-year totals over the same period.”
Prior to working for the Meat Institute, Burns spent 20 years in the industry, first as counsel at one of the nation's largest meat and poultry processors and later as General Counsel and VP of Environment, Health and Safety at a smaller poultry company.
The hearing entitled, “A Review of
Animal Agriculture Stakeholder
Priorities,” was chaired by Subcommittee
Chairman Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) and
Subcommittee Ranking Member,
Representative Jim Costa (D-Cal.).
For Burns’ testimony submitted for the record, click here .
At the hearing, Burns conveyed the
priorities of meat and poultry packers
and processors which included:
Proposition 12:
“It will embolden anti-animal ag groups
to pursue burdensome laws elsewhere
and will open the door to chaos in
interstate commerce through
state-by-state trade barriers, not just
for meat and poultry products, but
for any products not meeting the standards
set by another state,” said
Burns. “Industry needs certainty. But
any federal solution requires careful
drafting to ensure it is legally
sufficient yet not vulnerable to
challenges in the courts.”
Biden Administration’s Proposed
Rules under the Packer and Stockyards
Act:
“The Administration claims the proposals
are needed because the injury to
competition standard is an insurmountable
bar for plaintiffs and eliminating
it will help rein in the big companies,”
said Burns. “However, the small,
family owned poultry company I once worked
for suffered a $14.5 million
verdict in a Packers and Stockyards case
decided under the injury to
competition standard, an amount large
enough to drive it to the verge of
bankruptcy. The result was that the
company was acquired by an owner
outside the United States.”
Labor Shortages:
“We are pleased that House Agriculture
Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson
(R-Penn.) plans to establish an
agricultural workforce working group within
the House Agriculture Committee,” said
Burns. “Currently, meat packing and
processing facilities are not eligible to
employ workers under the H-2A
visa program for agricultural guest
workers -- even though we are the
essential harvest stage of the livestock
industry. We urge the working
group to consider the workforce needs of
our industry as it deliberates. We
are essential to the food supply. We would
welcome the opportunity to be
part of the discussions so that a solution
can be found that works for all
of agriculture.”
Reauthorization of the Livestock
Mandatory Reporting (LMR) Act:
“Since 2020, Congress has extended
LMR’s five-year authorization annually
in appropriations legislation. NAMI
continues to support, a clean,
five-year reauthorization of LMR uncoupled
from the Farm Bill.”
The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows meat and poultry processing is a $266.99 billion industry employing 526,849 people directly and supporting many more jobs up and down stream in the value chain across both rural and urban communities.
About North American Meat
Institute
The Meat Institute is the United States’
oldest and largest trade
association representing packers and
processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal,
turkey, and processed meat products. NAMI
members include over 350 meat
packing and processing companies, the
majority of which have fewer than 100
employees, and account for over 95 percent
of the United States’ output of
meat and 70 percent of turkey production.
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