Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 10/30/15


Smithfield Foods announced Don Butler is being promoted to director of corporate affairs with a focus on stakeholder engagement in North Carolina. He was most recently director of government relations and public affairs.

Butler is a native North Carolinian and has worked for Smithfield for 24 years. He is also past president of the National Pork Producers Council and the North Carolina Pork Council.

In his new role, Butler will be based in Raleigh, N.C. and engage with stakeholders including elected officials, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, private businesses, the media and other interested parties. In addition, he will serve as a Smithfield spokesperson in North Carolina.

During his tenure with the company, Butler developed and implemented the first environmental management system for a livestock operation, in order to achieve certification under the ISO 14001 Standard for environmental management. All of the company's farms and processing facilities worldwide are now ISO 14001 certified.

Butler also led a team that developed a comprehensive animal care program for the company using the management system approach and served as sustainability officer for the company's Hog Production Division, formerly known as Murphy-Brown LLC. The division was renamed earlier this year.

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