ICYMI: Iowa Farmers Speak Out Against Ashley Hinson’s Pro-China Bill That Favors Big Ag Corporations Over Small Farms
Iowa Hog Farmer Chris Petersen: “Politicians, Including Ashley Hinson, Should be Ashamed and Shamed for Letting the Vast Majority of Farmers Being Turned into Serfs, or Chore Boys, for Feeding Hogs for Communist China”
Iowa Hog Farmer Tony Thompson: “Small Family Farms Aren’t Going to Win a Race Against Multinational, Vertically-Integrated Corporations”
WHO: “Aaron Lehman, President of the Iowa Farmers Union, Said Iowa Already Lost Nearly 90% of its Independent Hog Farmers Over the Last 45 Years to Industry Consolidation”
DES MOINES – Yesterday, Iowa farmers called out Ashley Hinson for continuing to push her pro-China Save Our Bacon Act, which prioritizes big, multinational ag corporations ahead of small family farms.
Iowa hog farmers called Hinson’s legislation “egregious and insulting” and said it would “punish” their farming operations and “make problems for farmers even worse.”
Key context: Ashley Hinson has been “one of the staunchest advocates of the ‘Save Our Bacon Act on Capital Hill,’” despite broad bipartisan opposition, including from Republican Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, “who was an original sponsor of the Senate version.” While championing the legislation, she has quietly accepted thousands of dollars from a Chinese-owned pork producer and their associates who are fighting for the bill at the expense of small Iowa farmers.
Missed the reports? See below for more key highlights:
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa farmers argue Hinson’s Save Our Bacon Act would hurt small producers
- Some Iowa producers argued Wednesday that the federally proposed Save Our Bacon Act will harm farmers by taking away diversified markets and by sending a message to consumers that they are not entitled to a choice in what they eat.
- “We know how to make meaningful changes to help Iowa livestock farmers,” Lehman said. “We just need the political will to demand that they be put in place. The Save Our Bacon Act won’t get it done.”
- Tony Thompson, a farmer and candidate for the Iowa Senate, said the bill would prevent markets from rewarding farmers who “do something different.”
- “Small family farms aren’t going to win a race against multinational, vertically integrated corporations on producing the cheapest pound of protein,” Thompson said.
- John Gilbert, a Hardin County farmer who said dairy and hogs have been the “linchpins” in his operation, said the Save Our Bacon Act would “punish” producers […]
- Gilbert said the most “egregious and insulting” element of the Save Our Bacon Act is the message it sends to consumers.
- Lehman said the topic is an issue in this election because “farmers are hurting” and the Save Our Bacon Act would “make problems for farmers even worse.”
WHO: Rep. Hinson’s Save Our Bacon Act divides Iowa farmers
- In a press conference held at an Elkhart farm on Wednesday, Iowa farmers and rural advocates spoke against the legislation. They said it will only benefit the four largest meatpacking companies and not Iowa’s family farms. They also claim the legislation could lead to an increase in China’s share of the American pork market.
- Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union, said Iowa already lost nearly 90% of its independent hog farmers over the last 45 years to industry consolidation, and he said the Save Our Bacon Act would make that statistic worse.
- The former president of the Iowa Farmers Union and Clear Lake hog farmer, Chris Peterson, echoed this sentiment. He said, “The industry will not rest until they have got 100% of the market share. This is the game people: get rid of us.”
KTIV: Iowa pork farmers divided over ‘Save Our Bacon Act’ ahead of November election
- John Gilbert, a pork farmer in Hardin County, said the bill will hurt farmers who have already adapted to the market.
- Hog farmer Tony Thompson said the Save Our Bacon Act could take away a competitive advantage for some small farmers.
- Opponents of the bill also say it will only help large pork producers like Smithfield. Smithfield is the largest pork producer in the world, owned by Chinese pork group WH.
- “Politicians, including Ashley Hinson, should be ashamed and shamed for letting the vast majority of farmers being turned into serfs, or chore boys, for feeding hogs for communist China,” Petersen said.
###