Senate Democrats call for support for pork producers in coronavirus aid package

Democratic Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Dick Durbin (Ill.) asked congressional leadership on Tuesday to provide support for pork producers who have been forced to depopulate pig herds during the coronavirus pandemic in the next relief package. 

In their letter, the senators note that the demand for pork has plummeted with restaurants, schools, offices, and other establishments closed. They requested reimbursements of 85 percent of the value of pork producers’ losses.

“Although many processing facilities have since reopened and are nearing normal capacity, pork producers who have been forced to euthanize their animals are still facing a significant financial burden,” the Democrats wrote.

They said that producers also need funds for equipment so plants much operate with robust safety measures to protect employees. 

A bipartisan group of senators made a similar request in May, calling for Congress to provide additional funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pork producers forced to depopulate livestock.

Pork processing plants quickly became hot spots for coronavirus outbreaks, the most prominent example being a Smithfield plant in South Dakota that closed in April. That plant accounts for up to 5 percent of the total U.S. pork production and has since reopened. 

President Trump signed an executive order on April 28 to compel meat processing plants to stay open.

Senate Republicans have been meeting this week about what to include in their next coronavirus relief proposal, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows met with the caucus Tuesday.