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BASKERVILLE, VA – Today the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) called upon Smithfield Foods Inc. to examine its process for negotiating minority food producer contracts.
“The world’s largest producer must do a better job at reaching out to Blacks and other minority and small-farm producers,” said John W. Boyd, Jr. president of the National Black Farmers Association. “We are urging the Smithfield company to come to the table and discuss this issue in a way that we believe will benefit everyone.”
The NBFA has been working to arrange direct contracts between Smithfield and minority farmers since 2003. “We have been unsuccessful thus far,” said Boyd. “It would help a lot of the company’s management would actually agree to meet with us in person.”
The NBFA is supporting The Smithfield Justice Campaign of the United Food and Commercial Workers union in its efforts to improve working conditions at its plants. John Boyd is scheduled to speak at the rally planned for Monday evening in Richmond as well as at the rally planned for Thursday, June 22 in Washington, DC.
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