USDA aids industry with extra pork purchase
USDA will purchase an additional $30 million in pork products in FY 2009 for federal food and nutrition assistance programs.
Altogether, USDA has purchased approximately $151 million in pork products for food and nutrition assistance programs this year through annual appropriation and Recovery Act funding.
The news comes after AMI and the National Pork Producers Council this week met with USDA officials and with key appropriators to explain the plight of pork producers, packers and processors and the need for this action.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged the difficulty facing the pork industry, saying, “These purchases will assist pork producers who are currently struggling due to depressed market conditions … This action will help mitigate further downward prices, stabilise market conditions, stimulate the economy, and provide high quality, nutritious food to recipients of USDA’s nutrition programs.”
The AMS Commodity Procurement Web page can be found at: www.ams.usda.gov/lscp
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