NPPC Lobbies For Stay of Federal Court NSIS Line Speed Ruling

Jun 14, 2021

The National Pork Producers Council is calling for a stay of a court ruling that will reduce overall U.S. pork processing capacity. A recent federal court ruling struck down provisions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new swine inspection system which allows for faster harvest facility line speeds.

National Pork Producers Council President Jen Sorenson told reporters on hand yesterday for the opening World Pork Expo in Des Moines, NSIS line speeds is the organization's most pressing priority.

Clip-Jen Sorenson-National Pork Producers Council:

The end of June implementation date for this court order is looming and NPPC continues to urge the administration to appeal and stay this decision because of the damage it will exact on hog farmers, especially the smaller producers. While overall U.S. pork harvest capacity will drop 2.5 percent because of this decision, capacity at six plants running NSIS line speeds will decline by as much as 25 percent.

Smaller producers near these plants will be forced to sell their hogs on the spot market at depressed prices with additional transportation costs to send their hogs to distant plants. Hog farmers are expected to lose more than 80 million dollars this year alone because of this decision. This is not a partisan issue.

Development of the new swine inspection system started during the Clinton administration. The five original plants which had been running at NSIS line speeds over the life of the program have been safely operating for more than 20 years.

\At a time when the United States is seeking to increase much needed pork harvest capacity, the court order will reduce plant capacity at six plants running NSIS line speeds by as much as 25 percent. The administration can prevent this from happening.

Source : Farmscape

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.