Senators: Livestock Consolidation a “Bad Deal” For Consumers, Ranchers

Dan Cattle, Marketing

Senators Chuck Grassley and Jon Tester encourage their Senate colleagues to oppose recent efforts that they say will weaken the Packers and Stockyards Act.  The upcoming Fiscal year 2024 Agriculture Appropriations bill (.pdf) includes provisions Grassley and Tester say would “prevent USDA from enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act to hold multi-national food manufacturers accountable.”  Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and …

NFU Leads Letter to Congress: Uphold Packers and Stockyards Act Progress

Dan Cattle, Legislative, Marketing, National Farmers Union (NFU)

Last week, the National Farmers Union (NFU) sent a letter to Appropriations Committee leadership (.pdf) opposing restrictions that would undo work to revitalize the Packers and Stockyards Act. The letter, signed by national, regional, and state organizations, points out that “opponents of competitive agricultural markets are seeking to roll back the work USDA has already completed, prevent USDA from making …

LMA Works to Solve Issue Impacting Livestock Auctions and Producers

Will Jordan General

Federal regulation through the Packers and Stockyards Act has created an interesting issue for owners of local livestock markets that could have an impact on livestock producers. Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) is working to solve this problem. Whether through the sale ring, by way of freezer beef, or otherwise, receiving top dollar for their product is the goal of livestock …

House Passes Package of Agriculture Bills

Dan Legislative, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)

The U.S. House approved a package of agriculture bills, which includes the controversial USDA special investigator to police meat industry competition. In a vote of 221 to 204, seven Republicans backed and four Democrats opposed the USDA special investigator to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act. The bill also establishes a loan program at USDA’s Rural Development for new and …

NCBA Endorses Bipartisan A-PLUS Act

Dan Beef, Cattle, Livestock, Marketing, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)

(NCBA/WASHINGTON, April 7, 2022) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) supports the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A-PLUS) Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). If enacted, the bill would clarify regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act to allow livestock market owners to maintain an …

Updates on Packers and Stockyards Act Rule Amendments

Dan Beef, Cattle, Legislative, Marketing, Regulation, USDA-AMS

Last June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they were beginning work on proposed rules to support enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, the 100-year old law that was originally designed to protect poultry and hog farmers and cattle ranchers from unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive practices in the meat markets. This week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack offered the latest …

Agriculture Department and Justice Department Issue Shared Principles and Commitments to Protect Against Unfair and Anticompetitive Practices

Dan Beef, Cattle, Livestock, Regulation

(WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2022) — Speaking at a White House event focused on competition in agriculture, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland expressed their shared commitment to effectively enforcing federal competition laws that protect farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers and growers from unfair and anticompetitive practices, including the antitrust laws and the Packers and Stockyards …

Meat Institute Opposes Government Intervention in Meat Market

Dan Beef, Cattle, Livestock, Pork, Poultry, Sheep-Goats

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) opposed recent action to make changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act. In a statement, the organization says, President Biden’s executive order calling for the Department of Agriculture to change the Packers and Stockyards rules will have unintended consequences for consumers and producers. Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts states, “Government intervention …

Revitalizing the Packers and Stockyards Act

Dan Cattle, Legislative, Regulation

On Friday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA will soon propose rulemaking designed to improve fairness and transparency within the Packers and Stockyards Act. Rod Bain has the story. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discusses the proposed rulemaking, such as specific practices with chicken processors and clarifying the definition of an unfair practice. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed …

Pork Producers Applaud Withdraw Of GIPSA Rules

Dan Cattle, Industry News Release, Livestock, Pork

The Trump administration announced it will withdraw regulations related to the buying and selling of livestock, a move strongly commended by the National Pork Producers Council, which opposed the Obama-era rules. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue decided not to move forward with an interim final rule of the so-called Farmer Fair Practices Rules, which was written in 2016 by the U.S. …