Congressman Bob Goodlatte Awarded AMI's Richard E. Lyng Award for Public Service

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) was presented with the prestigious Richard E. Lyng Award in recognition of his long and continued commitment and dedication to public service. The award, presented by AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle, was created in 1991 and has been given to a handful of individuals who have truly distinguished themselves for their public service.

“Bob Goodlatte has been a true friend of American agriculture, and a strong supporter of America’s meat and poultry industry,” said Boyle. “He has shown consistent and thoughtful leadership on a long list of tough issues that have faced our industry, including food safety, product labeling, free trade initiatives, and recovery of beef export markets,” he added.

Goodlatte is serving his eighth term representing Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District and serves as the ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. He was elected to serve as Chairman of the full House Agriculture Committee in January 2003, at the start of the 108th Congress and served as Chairman of the Committee throughout the 108th and 109th Congresses, convening 132 Full and Subcommittee hearings and guiding 38 bills under the Committee’s jurisdiction to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

“Throughout his entire congressional career, Bob Goodlatte has been a tireless and effective advocate for a safe, robust and competitive U.S. meat and poultry industry," said Boyle. Boyle pointed out that the district that Goodlatte represents is one of the largest livestock districts in the country. “Congressman Goodlatte has done a great job of watching out for agriculture interests both in his district and nationwide,” said Boyle.

The Lyng Award is named after the late Richard E. Lyng (1918-2003), former President of the American Meat Institute (1973-79) and Secretary of Agriculture under President Ronald Reagan. Past recipients of the Lyng award have included U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, Sens. Richard Lugar, Trent Lott, Thad Cochran, and Pat Roberts, as well as Reps. Henry Bonilla, Kika de la Garza and Charles Stenholm.

“Representative Goodlatte’s leadership in the food industry and in Congress embodies the same dedication to public service as evidenced by Dick Lyng,” said Boyle. “He is a very worthy recipient of this award in Secretary Lyng’s name.”