Press Releases

Luetkemeyer, Colleagues Concerned About Impact of H1N1 Slang on Vital Pork, Farm Industries

Washington, DC, September 21, 2009
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) and two Small Business Committee colleagues are expressing their concerns about the impact on the pork industry of the slang term being used to describe the H1N1 influenza virus in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) and two Small Business Committee colleagues are expressing their concerns about the impact on the pork industry of the slang term being used to describe the H1N1 influenza virus in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
 
The letter, also signed by Small Business Ranking Member Sam Graves and Rep. Glenn Thompson, urges the administration to take an active role to encourage the correct term when referring to the H1N1 virus, as well as educating consumers that pork is safe to eat.  The letter was the result of a recent Small Business Committee hearing titled: “The Challenges of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza and its Potential Impact on Small Businesses and Healthcare Providers.” 
 
 “I have talked to many pork producers in my district who say the slang term being used to describe the H1N1 virus is only adding to the difficulties they are facing during these rough economic times,” Luetkemeyer said. “We hope the administration will take these concerns seriously by actively educating the press and the public about the use of the correct term so that people are made aware that H1N1 is NOT transmitted through pork products.”
The pork industry took a hit after the discovery of H1N1 in America in April 2009 with agricultural experts estimating that the pork industry has suffered close to a billion dollars in losses since the outbreak of H1N1, even though the USDA Agricultural Research Service found that H1N1 does not spread to meat.
“We are concerned about the continued use of a slang animal term instead of ‘H1N1’ for the influenza virus,” said Luetkemeyer and his fellow lawmakers. “USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have been working actively to communicate the fact that H1N1 should not be referred to by an animal name, and that pork products are safe. We urge you to take an active role in efforts to help America’s pork industry recover.”
During the recent committee hearing, Luetkemeyer asked the witnesses if they were actively working with national media to combat the use of the slang term for H1N1. The witnesses indicated they raised this concern with the media but the slang term has “stuck” and hopes the message gets through to use H1N1 when talking about this strain of influenza.
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