Minnesota State Wire

Brad Finstad, a representative from Minnesota, announced his American Protein Processing Modernization Act, which aims to modernize food processing to protect farmers and enhance national food security. This statement was made on the social media platform X.

"Today I introduced the American Protein Processing Modernization Act to provide long-term certainty for America's food supply chain," said Bradley Howard Finstad, U.S. Representative of Minnesota's 1st Congressional District (R). "This legislation ensures safe, science-based processing, protects farmers' livelihoods, and strengthens our nation's food security."

In 2024, U.S. pork production reached approximately 27.8 billion pounds, marking a 2% increase from 2023. Pork exports also grew by 4% to 7.12 billion pounds, accounting for nearly 26% of total output. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that production will rise another 3% in 2025 to 28.5 billion pounds, with exports reaching 7.3 billion pounds. This underscores pork's significance to farm income and trade, according to the USDA Economic Research Service.

According to the Meat Institute’s Industry at a Glance report, total U.S. red meat and poultry production in 2024 increased nearly 1% to reach a record output of 107.6 billion pounds. This growth supported domestic food security and reflected ongoing efficiency improvements in processing, positioning animal protein as a central component of the nation’s agricultural economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the U.S. food supply chain, with pork processing capacity dropping by 25% by April 2020 due to plant closures and labor shortages. By late 2022, resilience measures—including logistics improvements and workforce stabilization—enabled recovery and contributed to easing food price inflation, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Finstad represents Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District and is a fourth-generation farmer with a background in Agricultural Education. He served in the Minnesota House and as USDA Rural Development Director for Minnesota under President Trump before entering Congress in 2022. He currently chairs the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.