FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact NMA

January 6, 1999

OAKLAND, CA -- The Honorable Leon Panetta, former Congressman and White House Chief of Staff has been selected as National Meat Association's keynote speaker for MEATXPO'99. He will join the association on Saturday Morning, February 20, 1999 at the Marriott Hotel - Doubletree Inn in Monterey, California complex to speak following the annual meeting.

Panetta, appointed the director of the office of management in 1993, is highly respected for his development of the 1993 federal budget accord, setting in motion the steady reduction in federal deficits during the Clinton years. Previously, Panetta was, from 1977, a U.S. Representative from California's 16th (now 17th) district and served as chair to the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Domestic Marketing, Consumer Relations and Nutrition. He served as Chief of Staff to President Clinton from 1994 to 1997.

Currently Panetta and his wife co-organize The Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University Monterey Bay in Seaside, California. The Institute seeks to attract thoughtful men and women to lives of public service and to prepare them for the public policy challenges of the 21st century.

"We expect his talk to be candid," said NMA Executive Director Rosemary Mucklow, "and to present a complete picture of the current situation in Washington." MEATXPO'99 will be held February 18-20, 1999 at the Marriott Hotel - Doubletree Inn complex in Monterey, California. Contact National Meat Association for other highlights or a complete schedule.

National Meat Association is a non-profit trade association representing meat packers and processors, as well as equipment manufacturers and suppliers who provide services to the meat industry. The association, with over 600 members throughout the United States, includes membership in Canada, Australia and Mexico.

-30-