Our new Secretary of Ag has certainly made it a point of seeing everyone this year. I think he just went to Des Moines for the barbeque though!
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MIKE JOHANNS MEETS WITH PORK PRODUCERS AT WORLD PORK EXPO
DES MOINES, IOWA.—June 10th, 2005—U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns met today with pork producers at the 17th Annual World Pork Expo sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) in Des Moines, Iowa. In the meeting with Secretary Johanns, pork producers discussed several issues of critical importance for the U.S. pork industry including a premises-based national animal identification system.
“We communicated the pork industry’s animal ID guidelines on this important issue,” said NPPC President Don Buhl, a pork producer from Tyler, Minn. “An identification system is needed to enhance the health and biosecurity of the U.S. livestock herd by providing a method to ensure rapid and accurate tracing of animal movements in the event of an animal emergency.”
With regard to international trade, pork producers stressed the importance of getting the Free Trade Agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) passed by Congress, getting Mexico to drop its illegal case against U.S. pork and keeping the Australian pork market open.
For more information contact Kara Flynn.