Producers deal with backlog of 2M hogs at U.S. farms

Nearly 2 million hogs are backed up at U.S. farms due to plant closures during the coronavirus pandemic, an analyst from Rabobank recently said.

Most packers have the labor available to harvest the hogs, but they’re short on people who can debone, trim and get pork to retailers, said Christine McCracken, executive director of animal protein at Rabobank. Successful Farming reports.

The Department of Justice recently approved a plan developed by the National Pork Producers Council to euthanize what NPPC called an “overwhelming oversupply of live hogs in the United States.” Meat + Poultry reports.

According to NPPC, about 700,000 pigs have to be euthanized each week because of reduced operations at pork packing plants. The organization requested that the Justice Department review its plan to ensure it complies with federal antitrust laws.

Meanwhile, a U.S. House member raised concerns that big packers are getting their hogs to market, while independent farmers aren’t. Jim Hagedorn, a rep from Minnesota, wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in which he pointed out that from January to May, packer-owned hogs sold into the market increased 7.4%, while producer hogs sold during the same period dropped 8.8%.