Beef prices soar, food inflation is highest in more than eight years
Food prices rose sharply for the second month in a row, with beef recording its largest one-month increase ever, as the U.S. food inflation rate hit 4 percent in May, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday. It is the highest rate since January 2012. While food prices surged, the overall U.S. inflation rate for the past 12 months was a tiny 0.1 percent.
Indictments could be a sign of increased antitrust enforcement in farm sector
After years of failed attempts to draw attention to market concentration in the meat sector, farmers are cautiously optimistic about federal investigations into alleged antitrust violations in the chicken and beef industries. And grand jury indictments of four chicken industry executives could be a sign of more antitrust action to come, says a former attorney at the Department of Justice.
Meat plants should slow the line, separate workers, say unions
The government should order meatpackers to slow the work pace at typically crowded processing plants and separate workers to reduce the risk of coronavirus outbreaks, said two labor unions on Wednesday. During a House hearing, the president of one of the unions said that “some responsible employers, like Cargill and Safeway, have done what is right,” while companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger have not.
Farm groups ask for billions more in coronavirus aid
Although the USDA has distributed only 9 percent of the $16 billion in coronavirus aid earmarked for agriculture, three farm and ranch groups asked lawmakers for more on Wednesday. The American Farm Bureau Federation sent a five-page wish list to Congress that included a $38 billion increase in USDA spending power and a guarantee that undocumented farmworkers will not be targeted by immigration agents during the pandemic.
Coronavirus concerns mount as Bristol Bay salmon season prepares to open
Two months ago, local leaders in southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay begged the state’s governor to consider canceling the commercial sockeye salmon season. They feared that Covid-19 would spread through the region’s small villages, which have scant health resources. Despite those concerns, preparations for the Bristol Bay fishery, which opens at the end of the month, are barreling ahead, and some 10,000 fishermen and processing plant workers from across the state, the country, and the world are set to descend on the region. But now, as Covid-19 cases are growing across the state — as of June 9, it had recorded more than 600 cases — there is concern that the $5.2 billion industry could be in jeopardy.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Farmers avoid hog culling (Ag Insider): Altered management practices and the restoration of slaughter volume at pork plants have allowed farmers to avoid large-scale culling of hogs, said the CEO of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. With more than 600,000 hogs backed up on farms in the state, farmers have reduced farrowings and changed rations to control pig numbers, and have found alternative outlets, such as food donations.
Iowa State Fair canceled (Des Moines Register): For the first time since World War II, the Iowa State Fair has been canceled, this time due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Tyson Foods cooperates in price fixing case (Wall Street Journal): Tyson Foods, after discovering that some of its employees were implicated, said it was “fully cooperating” under a leniency program with a Justice Department investigation into alleged price fixing by chicken processors.
USDA extends meal waiver (USDA): Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the extension through summer of a waiver that allows local organizations to serve free meals to all the school-age children in an area rather than restricting the meals to low-income neighborhoods.
Atlas identifies food donation hurdles (Harvard Law): A new interactive resource, the Global Food Donation Atlas, “maps the laws and policies affecting food donation around the globe and provides recommendations to prevent unnecessary food waste and improve food distribution to those in need.”
