More than 150 egg farmers and allied industry representatives attended the 2017 UEP Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C., May 17 to 19. UEP Chairman Ron Truex and Chad Gregory, President and CEO, welcomed the crowd to the nation’s capital and an agenda filled with events ranging from Congressional speeches and Capitol Hill visits to committee briefings and the UEP Board Meeting.

The event kicked off with the Government Relations committee briefing, chaired by Tom Hertzfeld, Jr. Prior to the meeting, committee members had identified seven key issues, and the D.C. consultants and staff prepared background and position papers with specific requests for policy makers. Three key issues were presented: 2018 Farm Bill, the (now-delayed) organic rule and funding for the ag department and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Position papers were also developed on four other issues: labor needs/immigration, tax reform, international trade and check-off legislation.

Mark Perigen of Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) presented updates on inspection activity, label requests, exports, GMO feed ingredients and federal purchase programs. Perigen reported there are now 40.7 million layers in cage-free operations, as of April 2017.

Additional committee briefings conducted included Environment, Food Safety, Biosecurity Taskforce and Animal Welfare. Meetings of the United Egg Association (UEA) Further Processors and EGGPAC were also facilitated during the D.C. event, along with Capitol Hill visits and the Congressional Omelet Luncheon.