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USA Poultry & Egg Export Council

BACKGROUND Out of its home office in Tucker, Georgia, USAPEEC's reach is far-ranging. Through its network of international offices and consultants in key global markets, USAPEEC keeps current on issues that directly impact U.S. poultry and egg exports. Although USAPEEC's mission is to promote exports of U.S. poultry and eggs worldwide, the Council has evolved into an association that advocates for the industry on trade policy issues. Because of its status as a not-for-profit entity, USAPEEC does not lobby, but the organization can and does act as an intermediary with USDA, in Washington and at embassies and Agricultural Trade Offices around the world. USAPEEC also has good working relationships with other industry trade associations, such as the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, American Egg Board, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, and many more. HISTORY OF USA POULTRY & EGG EXPORT COUNCIL In 1956, three years after USDA organized the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) as an arm of government to help U.S. agriculture establish its presence in a global marketplace, USAPEEC's predecessor organization, the Poultry & Egg Institute of America (PEIA), entered into a marketing arrangement with FAS. As a result, PEIA became a FAS cooperator organization and was responsible for administering export promotion funds allocated annually by USDA as part of the Farm Bill. For years, PEIA operated independently as an export trade association. In the late 1970s, PEIA fell on hard times. The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, then known as the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association (SPEA), stepped in and salvaged the organization, making it a division of SPEA, and changed its name to the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council as of March 15, 1984. While USAPEEC operated as a division of SPEA (March 15, 1984 - Sept. 30, 1985), SPEA provided $154,000 in funding for USPEEC's operations. In September 1985, USAPEEC became a separate corporation but continued to share office space with SPEA through February 1986. In March 1986, USAPEEC moved to its first office in Tucker, Georgia. During that first fiscal year of USAPEEC's existence as a separate entity, SPEA contributed $125,000 to USAPEEC's operations. Jim Sumner was named president in 1990, and in 1992, USAPEEC moved to expanded quarters in Stone Mountain, Ga., until 2021. In April 2021, USAPEEC moved back to Tucker in the newly renovated headquarters of USPOULTRY, and is part owner of the building. In the intervening years, USAPEEC has evolved from an association whose major purpose was the promotion of U.S. poultry and egg products through its network of 14 international offices and consultants to an organization that advocates for the industry on trade policy issues. Despite this, USAPEEC has never strayed from its roots as a promotional organization. Throughout the world, USAPEEC touts the high quality of American poultry and egg products.