The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to move forward with a new attempt on the rulemaking process for the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Inspection, or GIPSA rule. Senate lawmakers this month penned a letter to USDA requesting the new rule protect livestock and poultry farmers against unfair and deceptive practices by meatpackers and poultry companies, as well …
USDA Back to The Drawing Board on GIPSA
When the U.S. Ag Department (USDA) sets its 2019 regulatory agenda, it will deal with the unsettled matter of rules governing interactions between contract producers and meatpackers. USDA is looking at bringing back the rulemaking process designed to balance the power between the two sides. Last year, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue made the decision to withdraw the final rule drafted …
Farmers Outline Harm from GIPSA Withdraw
A lawsuit brief filed on behalf of poultry farmers details the alleged harm from the Department of Agriculture’s GIPSA rule withdrawal. The Organization for Competitive Markets claims the Trump administration and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue sided “with big ag over small farmers,” saying the GIPSA final rule would have helped level the playing field between farmers and agribusiness. In the …
Farmers Decline to Get Involved in USDA/GIPSA Suit
Many farmers were upset for months about a U.S. Department of Agriculture decision to withdraw the interim final rule from the Grain Inspections, Packers, and Stockyards Act (GIPSA). Politico says many farmers are also worried about the possibility of retaliation from the large corporations they contract with if they get involved in the lawsuit. As a result, a lot of …
Lawsuit Filed Against USDA Over GIPSA Withdrawal
The Organization for Competitive Markets has joined farmer-plaintiffs from Alabama and Nebraska to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture for cancelling the GIPSA Farmer Fair Practice Rules. OCM Executive Director Joe Maxwell says the lawsuit seeks to reverse USDA’s October decision. He says the GIPSA rules were mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill and should be implemented. Rules He says …