- The nation’s largest union for meatpacking workers and the association representing meat producers joined forces to urge all 50 U.S. governors to urgently prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for frontline meat and poultry workers across the United States, in accordance with official Centers for Disease Control guidance. In a new joint letter to governors, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and the North American Meat Institute emphasized that quickly vaccinating the sector’s diverse workforce of some 500,000 employees across the country will maximize health benefits, especially in rural communities that often have limited health services, while keeping Americans’ refrigerators full and our farm economy working. Click here to read the full letter to governors.
- House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota pointed to multiple provisions to benefit dairy farmers in the new COVID-19 relief compromise package passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Trump.
- As of Dec. 1, there were 77.5 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, down 1 percent from December 2019 and down 1 percent from Sept. 1, 2020, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
- The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced that its 2021 Stakeholders Summit, set primarily for May 5-6, will be hosted virtually and themed “Obstacles to Opportunities.” The annual Summit brings top thought leaders in the industry together to discuss hot-button issues and out-of-the-box ideas. In addition to announcing the theme and virtual format for 2021, the Alliance also issued a call for proposals to speak at the event.
