USDA ENDS FEE ON DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED PORK

USDA ENDS FEE ON DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED PORK    The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will cancel a fee program imposed on domestic and imported pork products.
   The fee was collected by Customs to support the National Pork Board, which contracts promotional services through the National Pork Producers Council. The fee’s cancellation should save U.S. pork producers and importers about $54 million a year, or about 45 cents per $100 on each hog sold.
   Last fall, the USDA came under pressure by pork producers and importers to end the program. In a national vote, the industry voted to terminate the program by a vote of !5,951 to 14,396. Many pork producers said they didn’t see the benefits resulting from the National Pork Board’s advertising campaigns.
   The government maintains promotional boards and programs for other types of agricultural commodities, such as milk and cotton. Importers pay about $660 million in fees annually to these support these programs.