NPPC Supports Livestock Provisions Of Heroes Act

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) expressed strong support for livestock agriculture provisions in the Heroes Act introduced today by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. These provisions include funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide:

• Compensation for euthanized livestock that can’t be processed into the food supply due to COVID-related packing plant capacity reductions. This fact sheet provides an overview of the current challenge faced by U.S. pork producers.
• 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. In USDA implementation of this program, NPPC continues to seek the removal of 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.