LHCA has hosted its first spring Washington, D.C. meeting since 2022, bringing together industry leaders for a packed agenda of policy engagement and strategic discussions. In addition to meetings of the association's Executive Committee, Board of Directors and the LHCA Foundation's Board of Directors, members met with officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the Department of Agriculture and staff on the House and Senate agriculture committees.
Central to the discussions was the importance of reliable, open markets for US exporters and manufacturers. Key takeaways from the meeting include:
• The United States operates the most efficient beef cattle production system in the world, producing as much as four times the meat per animal as producers in developing countries and substantially reducing the true carbon footprint associated with US hides and skins.
• Brand requirements are driving system-wide traceability needs across the industry. A new CEN standard has been developed to streamline and harmonize different levels of traceability disclosure.