Grassley vows to use Judiciary position to investigate meatpacker practices

by | Dec 16, 2020 | 5 Ag Stories, News

Last week the USDA?s Ag Marketing Service (AMS) released its final rule on the Packers & Stockyards Act. There have been mixed reactions, however many of those reactions have been negative. Many Ag and livestock groups are challenging that the rule fails to protect family farms from ?discriminatory practices.? Yesterday, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley weighed in on his thoughts on what should be done to protect livestock producers from the powerful meat packers.

Senator Grassley started off by recognizing the challenges facing livestock producers in Iowa and across the country. Grassley said that the USDA needs strong rules to keep packers from taking advantage of family farmers. Many producers are taking a loss.

Grassley and fellow Senator John Tester (D-MT) both weighed in on the rulemaking process. They said that inappropriate industry practices have gone unchecked and the USDA not only failed to address the abusive practices but is protecting the packing industry from government oversight. Grassley says the main problem can be clearly witnessed in the cattle industry, where four packers control over 80% of the processing market.

Senator Grassley says that he and Senator Tester will keep fighting for their bill to increase competition in the cattle marketplace.

Grassley also vowed to use his top position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate possible antitrust violations by meat packers.

The longer COVID continues, the harder the situation will become for some family livestock operations.