FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2017
OCM Appalled by GIPSA Rule Withdrawal, Calls for Executive Order
Lincoln, NE – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) announced it will withdraw the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule, Scope of Sections 202(a) and (b) of Packers and Stockyards Act, and take no further action on the proposed rule, Unfair Practices and Undue Preferences in Violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act. Thus far, no action has been announced regarding the proposed rule, Poultry Grower Ranking Systems.
The long-awaited Interim Final Rule was set to go into effect on October 19th after several delays, and would have restored the rights of farmers and ranchers who are harmed by a meat packing or processing company’s anti-competitive and unfair practices. It would have clarified and reiterated the USDA’s longstanding position that not all violations of the Packers & Stockyards Act require a showing of harm or likely harm to competition. Under this rule change, an individual farmer or rancher would no longer have had to demonstrate that the entire U.S. market was affected by unfair practices inflicted on him or her and would have been able to seek a fair remedy.
The proposed rule, Unfair Practices and Undue Preferences in Violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act, would have established a list of practices that violate the rule and establish criteria that GIPSA would consider when determining whether a packer, swine contractor, or poultry integrator has engaged in conduct or action that violates the rule.
Mike Weaver, President of the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), offered the following statement:
“This withdrawal is a slap in the face to rural America and America’s farmers and ranchers. The administration is allowing multinational corporations led by foreign interests to hold America’s farmers and ranchers hostage with their monopolistic, retaliatory and predatory practices. The GIPSA rule represented a desperately needed change for farmers and ranchers and I am appalled that the administration would choose to support multinational corporate interests over those of our own farmers and ranchers, especially after campaigning on a promise to drain the swamp and Make America Great Again. Since the USDA cannot get the job done, we call on President Trump to issue an executive order to immediately implement the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule.”
More information on the history of the Packers & Stockyards Act is available at https://competitivemarkets.com/gipsa/.
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Media Contact: Angela Huffman, 614-390-7552
ahuffman@competitivemarkets.com
I honestly do not have words to express how badly I feel about our “so-called” political decision makers. They are not concerned with the working people which voted them into office, but in reality are only concerned with those companies offering up money to buy basically whatever regulation work-around our politicians can offer. I think a couple of good words that fit the description of what Perdue has just done could be called “crony capitalism.”
Mr. Weaver, you voted for Drumpf! You – and most of the people in your organization – are getting exactly what you asked for by casting that vote. You will find no sympathy here and you deserve none.
Hi Jon,
OCM is a nonpartisan organization and does not engage politically. We have not meant to imply in any comments that have been made that OCM or our membership endorsed Donald Trump or any other candidate.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify.
Angela
Angela, Jon Current didn’t say OCM endorsed Trump. The president of OCM has personally endorsed him and made it clear he voted for him. Mr. Weaver needs to belly up to the table and apologize for that disastrous decision.