WASHINGTON – Today, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew issued the following statement in support of the finalized “Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments” rule from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Packers & Stockyards Act (P&S Act):
“For far too long, monopolies across agriculture have put the squeeze on farmers and consumers. Poultry growers face an especially unfair contracting system that is opaque and secretive, and today’s finalized rule will require poultry companies to be more honest in their dealings with growers. This is good news for family farmers and will bring sorely needed transparency to livestock producers. We thank Secretary Vilsack for working to strengthen the Packers & Stockyards Act.”
The final poultry transparency rule released today is the first of several updates to the P&S Act being sought by USDA. Strong rules are needed to modernize the P&S Act to ensure family livestock producers are protected in the marketplace. In addition to issuing the final rule, USDA announced efforts to increase competition and innovation in seeds, improvements to USDA meat procurement requirements, and the establishment of a new Chief Competition Officer position at USDA.
NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign has brought the devastating impact of monopolies on family agriculture into the national spotlight. Campaign priorities include addressing issues such as increased enforcement of competition laws, excessive costs for fertilizer, supply chain vulnerabilities, and increased farm equipment costs.