WASHINGTON – The Meat Institute announced on Dec. 20 that Bryan Burns was promoted to general counsel for the trade association.

“Members of the Meat Institute benefit from Bryan’s ongoing in-house leadership on legal and regulatory strategies for the industry combined with his considerable experience tackling the day-to-day issues as counsel for meat and poultry companies,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and chief executive officer of the Meat Institute. 

Burns has testified twice before Congress regarding the economic and regulatory state of the meat and poultry industry, including before the House Agriculture Committee, and regarding labor and immigration issues before a bipartisan working group of members of the House Agriculture Committee.

Before working at the Meat Institute, Burns served as general counsel, corporate secretary and vice president of risk management and environmental, health and safety at Bachoco OK Foods. Along with corporate governance and legal matters, Burns led the company’s COVID strategy, worker safety, environmental and sustainability efforts.

Before working at Bachoco OK Foods, Burns spent 15 years as senior counsel at Tyson Foods. 

Other litigation areas that Burns has worked on include antitrust, environmental, and consumer class actions, and handling government agency investigations in a variety of subject matters. Burns also worked on Packers and Stockyards Act issues.