Last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue withdrew the GIPSA Farmer Fair Practice Rules. Following that Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Jon Tester of Montana wrote him asking he reinstate those rules and move forward with implementation. R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard supports that move. He says the Secretary’s decision has left independent cattle producers at the complete mercy of the beef packers.
He says the failure to implement the rules will give complete control of the markets to the meat packers.
Bullard says this will be devastating for independent cattle producers and force many of them out of business.
Bullard says if the Secretary stands by his decision, the only recourse for R-CALF and other groups that support the Farmer Fair Practice Rules will be go to Congress and request full implementation.
