WASHINGTON — The National Pork Producers Council explained its position on the threat of foreign animal diseases (FADs) in recent testimony submitted to the US House Committee on Ways and Means.

The trade association stated that pork producers are facing increased threats of foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever (ASF).

In its testimony, NPPC asked Congress to provide $75 million over five years in the 2023 Farm Bill for the feral swine eradication program and other FADs.

The funding would go toward programs such as the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB), National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) and the National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS). 

Another emphasis in the testimony was stopping FADs at US ports of entry and how the US Customs and Border Protection needs appropriate funds to fully staff the agency to keep agriculture secure.

“CBP agents do a tremendous job of interdicting agricultural contraband, but there aren’t enough of them,” NPPC said. “The agency remains understaffed at many entry points. Because of that, some illegal product slips through, and it only takes one diseased piece of beef or pork to put the country’s $1 trillion-plus agriculture industry at risk.”

NPPC also noted that it’s been a challenging time for the US pork industry in 2023 with hog producers losing an average of $40 per head on each hog marketed.

“While hog prices have moderated significantly since 2022, current losses are largely because of record-high production costs that have increased by as much as 50% in the past year,” NPPC stated. “These losses are putting a pinch on the pork industry, and this economic reality may force producers to exit the industry and drive consolidation at the farm-level.”