Organization for Competitive Market members are not happy with USDA payments to Brazilian meat packer JBS. Over $60 million was awarded to JBS for pork purchases as part of the trade mitigation package. OCM Executive Director Joe Maxwell says there needs to be a law in place so only domestic farmers and ranchers can get that assistance.

He says OCM worked with the Senate Finance Committee Chairman earlier to stop trade aid payments going to Smithfield Foods, and those payments were rescinded.

Maxwell says OCM is backing Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro’s legislation that would require that, whenever possible, purchases of agricultural commodities made by the Ag Secretary be from a domestically owned enterprise.

Maxwell says JBS’s track record is very poor and has been fraught with widespread corruption.