U.S. Lawmakers Mull over China’s Smithfield Foods Takeover

Jul 10, 2013

U.S. Lawmakers Mull over China’s Smithfield Foods Takeover

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

United States lawmakers have a scheduled hearing on Wednesday to discuss China’s pending takeover of Smithfield Foods.

Senate Agriculture Committee lawmakers will weigh in on the deal offered by China’s Shuanghui International to buy Smithfield. The deal was struck this spring and announced in May.

The committee said the hearing will scrutinize the pending acquisition of Smithfield, while examining the government review process for foreign takeovers. Consideration will also be made on topics such as American food safety and studying the effects of foreign ownership of the U.S. food supply.

If the deal goes through, it would be the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese business – valued at $7.1 billion. Larry Pope, Smithfield Foods’ CEO is expected to speak at the hearing.

Video: Exploring Precision Data in Swine Production - Dr. Janice Siegford

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show, Dr. Janice Siegford from Michigan State University discusses how precision livestock farming data can support pig health, welfare, transparency, and decision making. She explains why data ownership, privacy, consumer perception, and cost sharing must be addressed as technology becomes more common on farms. Listen now on all major platforms.

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