Press Releases
Warren/Rounds Resolution Myth-Facts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2022
CONTACT: Sarah Little (443) 440-0029
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today released the following Myth-Fact resource debunking the mischaracterizations about beef and cattle markets in a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mike Rounds (R-SD):
Myth: In the press release announcing the resolution, Senator Warren says beef companies have lowered wages for workers. This assertion is completely false.
North American Meat Institute: Special Investigator Redundant, Wasteful, Costly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2022
CONTACT: Sarah Little (443) 440-0029
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today released the following statement after the House Agriculture Committee favorably reported the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act:
"We are disappointed in the Committee's vote to approve this bill despite opposition from the Meat Institute and the nation's largest livestock producer organizations," said Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute.
"USDA and the Department of Justice already have the authorities this bill would grant making this expansion of government bureaucracy with its required staff and offices duplicative and wasteful.
North American Meat Institute Applauds Nomination of Alexis Taylor to be USDA Undersecretary for Trade
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16, 2022
CONTACT: Sarah Little (443) 440-0029
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute today applauded the nomination of Alexis Taylor to be the Undersecretary for Trade at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
House Committee Report Distorts the Record: Worker Health and Safety is First Priority in Meat and Poultry Industry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2022
CONTACT: Sarah Little (443) 440-0029
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute, the nation's trade association for meat and poultry packers and processors, today said the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis' partisan report distorts the truth about the meat and poultry industry's work to protect employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following is a statement from Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the North American Meat Institute:
"The Meat Institute and its member companies voluntarily provided hundreds of thousands of pages to the Committee. The report ignores the rigorous and comprehensive measures companies enacted to protect employees and support their critical infrastructure workers.
USDA Data Reveal: Cattle Sale Revenues Grew 16% in 2021
WASHINGTON, DC - Following two Congressional hearings on the beef and cattle markets largely focused on prices producers receive for their cattle, the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today said the latest USDA annual report on livestock income clears up misconceptions about the state of cattle markets and shows cash receipts for the sale of cattle and calves increased 16 percent, from $63.1 billion in 2020 to $72.9 billion in 2021.
"As our members said in their testimony, prices are improving for cattle producers due to supply and demand reflecting the cyclical nature of cattle production," said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. "Due to the shrinking herd and sustained consumer demand, cattle prices are at seven-year-highs without federal intervention in the market."
Meat Institute to House Ag Chair Scott: Packer Margins Since 2015 Due to Increased Herd Size
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today answered questions asked of meat and poultry industry companies by House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott during a hearing on beef and cattle markets:
"The analysis of beef and cattle market margins from 2015 are not in dispute," said Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute. "Cattle prices hit record highs in 2014 and 2015, when the overall cattle herd was at its smallest since 1952 (for context, that was during the Truman Administration). Those record prices incentivized rapid herd expansion among producers.
North American Meat Institute to Senate Ag: Cattle Prices at Seven Year Highs; Reject Costly Grassley-Fischer Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - With cattle prices at seven-year highs following record beef production in February and March as the packing sector recovers from COVID-related labor shortages and supply chain issues, the North American Meat Institute today urged members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry to reject the Grassley-Fischer bill's mandates and federal intrusion in the beef and cattle markets.
"Leading agricultural economists have determined Grassley-Fischer bill's latest draft remains costly to producers, especially producers in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas where the majority of US fed cattle are raised," said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. "Due to a shrinking herd and sustained consumer demand, cattle prices are at seven-year-highs without federal intervention in the market."
NAMI Calls On Governor Abbott to Cease Unnecessary Truck Inspections at U.S.-Mexico Border
CONTACT: Casey Kammerle, (202) 587 4253
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2022
The Meat Institute today is joining Democrats and Republicans in calling for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to cease the unnecessary truck inspections along the U.S.-Mexico border, which is causing massive supply chain delays and adversely affecting the American people.
Major League Baseball Fans Will Enjoy More Than 19 Million Hot Dogs and Nearly Five Million Sausages at Ballparks in 2022
CONTACT: Casey Kammerle (202) 587-4253
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC - Hot dogs and sausages are consistently among the most ordered food items at Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums. And in 2022, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) estimates MLB fans will consume 19.1 million hot dogs and nearly five million sausages at games this season.
North American Meat Institute Recognizes Environmental and Worker Safety Award Winners
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) recognized hundreds of meat and poultry establishments for their positive environmental impact and worker safety achievements at the 2022 Environmental, Labor and Safety Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
"The Meat Institute congratulates these companies and their leadership to ensure the safety and health of workers and our environment," said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. "Their hard work and innovation will ensure the meat and poultry industry continues to employ the highest standards and latest technology to produce wholesome, safe, nutritious products that exceed customer expectations."
North American Meat Institute: Grassley-Fischer Bill is Still a Government Mandate on Producers
WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute today said the latest version of the Grassley-Fischer government mandate bill is now more onerous and more irrelevant as market driven prices for cattle producers have steadily risen to seven-year highs.
"Supply and demand has already driven the cattle markets back into balance without the radical government interference and convoluted mandates called for in the latest draft of the Grassley-Fischer bill," said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. "Make no mistake, the bill still contains government mandates directing how producers market their cattle.
The new draft mandates a certain amount of cash-market sales between packers and cattle feeders, establishing "government approved pricing mechanisms" by which cattle must be bought and sold.
