SMITHFIELD, Va., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE: SFD) today announced the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) appointment of Dennis H. Treacy to serve on their newly-formed Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities (FRRC) Advisory Committee. Mr. Treacy is vice president, environmental and corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods.

The committee, which will be composed of thirty members, is an important part of the EPA administrator's ongoing effort to strengthen relations with the agriculture community. It will advise the administrator on environmental policy issues impacting farms, ranches, and rural communities, and will operate under the rules of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

The committee is being developed as part of a comprehensive National Agriculture Strategy adopted by the EPA administrator in May 2006. That strategy seeks to engage agriculture in cooperative, collaborative, and innovative ways, in addition to the traditional regulatory programs the agency administers.

"I am honored and excited to have been selected to serve on the FRRC Advisory Committee," said Mr. Treacy. "I look forward to working with the committee to continue to strengthen relations between the EPA and the agricultural community," he continued.

For additional information about the committee, visit www.epa.gov/agriculture/frrcc.

With sales of $12 billion, Smithfield Foods is the leading processor and marketer of fresh pork and packaged meats in the United States, as well as the largest producer of hogs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.