In a concerted effort, over 60 organisations have reached out to President Biden through a letter, expressing their concerns regarding the slow progress of the USDA’s rulemaking under the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act).
Recently, the USDA declared its intention to launch its poultry contract transparency initiative as planned in early 2024. This decision aligns with the scheduled timeline, despite some U.S. lawmakers advocating for a delay in the new rule’s commencement.
The upcoming rule introduces a requirement for live poultry dealers to provide a disclosure document, aimed at offering growers vital insights to better gauge the business outcomes of selling livestock to processors. This rule is part of an effort to update the Packers and Stockyards Act, a century-old legislation designed to prevent monopolistic practices in the agricultural industry.
The organisations, while supportive of the newly finalised rules regarding poultry growing contracts, underscored the urgency for a broader rule. This comprehensive rule would tackle the issues of exploitation in the contract poultry growing system and offer clarity on the USDA’s interpretation of the Act. The letter pointed out that any delay in the implementation of these rules could expose them to risks from adversaries, potentially jeopardising the initiatives to strengthen the P&S Act.
These new regulations are slated for implementation in February, marking a critical development in the efforts to modernise and reinforce agricultural industry standards.
