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Federal programs for hogs
are not comparable to those for crops. Federal legislation
provides assistance to farmers with emergency feed, meat
purchasing, disease eradication, drought assistance, and
conservation and environmental programs. When producers
are experiencing financial stress, USDA's Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) may purchase meats for domestic feeding programs
to help strengthen prices through Commodity
Purchase Programs. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service oversees USDA's disease eradication programs such
as that for pseudorabies,
a viral swine disease. Producers who have suffered losses
due to drought, hot weather, disease, insect infestation,
flood, fire, hurricane, earthquake, severe storms, or other
natural disasters may receive emergency aid through USDA's
Farm Service Agency (FSA). Other programs for livestock
operations include the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides technical,
educational, and financial assistance to eligible farmers
and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural
resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial
and cost-effective manner. Fifty percent of the funding
available for the program will be targeted at natural resource
concerns relating to livestock production.
The trend toward fewer and larger enterprises has brought environmental
issues to the forefront of public policy regarding the hog industry.
As animal density increases, so do concerns regarding air and water
quality, occupational health, and waste management. In areas of
greatest concentration of hog production, human population density
is increasing as well. These trends hold the potential for growing
conflicts of interest between nearby residents and hog producers
due to odor, water contamination, and other environmental problems
associated with concentrated production. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) provides information about national
environmental requirements specifically related to the production
of agricultural animals, including fish and other aquatic animals.
EPA promulgates and enforces livestock waste regulations, including
those on Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operations. Many States and locales have regulations
on the size of confined animal operations, odor, waste disposal,
and water quality as it relates to agriculture.
Agricultural policy extends to trade, and agriculture is one of
the topic areas in the World Trade Organization
that has been opened to negotiations. In addition to market forces,
sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, tariffs, quotas, and other
policies affect the trade of animal products.
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