Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and John Tester of Montana are calling on the Department of Agriculture to provide protections for livestock and poultry producers against unfair and deceptive practices by meatpackers. Organization for Competitive Markets Executive Director Joe Maxwell says his group is encouraged by the Senator’s letter to USDA and is hoping the agency follows through.
He says there’s no legislation needed to strengthen the Packers and Stockyards Act as long as the USDA adheres to the 2018 farm bill and puts in those protections.
Maxwell says the USDA is in the process of rewriting the GIPSA or farmer fair practice rules and as they do that, the Secretary needs to follow the direction of Congress.
Maxwell says the Senators noted that USDA needs to defend small producers against preferential marketing agreements for large livestock producers. He says the Ag Department also must clarify that the Packers and Stockyards law doesn’t require a demonstration of harm by producers across the entire industry.
