More Packers and Stockyards Rules on Horizon

This week, the USDA announced more proposed rules to level the playing field between meat producers and processors. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, appearing at the National Farmers Union Convention, predicted more proposed rules in 2024.

Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture:  “...we need to make sure that farmers have a fair shake in the marketplace. For that reason, we continue our work on Packers and Stockyards. We recently finalized our second rule, which was focused on eliminating the ability of some to discriminate or to retaliate when producers exercise their right of association or exercise their right to reach out and see whether or not a competitor processor might be willing to pay a little bit better or a little bit more. We're now protecting farmers from any kind of retaliation when they exercise those rights. 

We expect and anticipate to see more rules coming out from Packers and stockyards. The next rule that will likely be proposed, is a proposed rule involving the poultry tournament system. We expect and anticipate this year as well, to roll out a proposed competition rule as well as potentially a price discovery, cattle rule as well.”

The additional rules come after years of complaints over the poultry tournament system. Tournament systems base producer payment on poultry metrics compared to the averages of all producers during a given period, and are criticized for being opaque and arbitrary.  

For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs.

contact: Peter.Tubbs@IowaPBS.org