April 15, 2020
With demand from foodservice and the restaurant industry at all-time lows from COVID-19, there are calls for the Trump administration to buy more meat, dairy and produce for the needy as farmers destroy agriculture goods, reported Reuters.
The National Pork Producers Council urged the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to buy US$1 billion worth in pork to supplement nationwide food bank programmes. The industry group said products like ham and bacon can benefit increased demand from these programmes as more workers are laid off due to COVID-19.
In the last three weeks, 16.8 million people filed for unemployment benefits in the United States as the country shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Rabobank has projected demand for meat is down 30%, with dairy farmers disposing milk and supplies of meat, cheese and vegetables backed up.
Representative Collin Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said additional USDA food purchases can assist local production to switch target productions to food banks, especially with low demand from the foodservice industry.
Peterson called on USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to allocate US$9.5 billion in funding provided through the CARES Act relief bill and the Commodity Credit Corporation funding authority to ease disruptions on food demand.
Purdue said the USDA is currently creating a programme to channel direct payments to farmers and "procurement methods to help solidify the supply chain from producers to consumers."
A.V. Roth, president of the pork council said more swine farmers will euthanise swine without federal aid, projecting US% billion in losses this year or US$37 per swine.
U.S. hunger-relief organization Feeding America and the American Farm Bureau Federation called on the USDA to develop a voucher programme to allow farmers and food banks to work together directly.
In a letter by both organisations, they note that there is increased demand by food banks but farmers are informed that there is an oversupply.
- Reuters
