NFU Sees GIPSA Rule as a Bill of Rights

By Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor

Excerpt: In a news release Tuesday, National Farmers Union stated that the group’s president, Roger Johnson, submitted comments commending U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration on its proposed rule, calling it a “Farmer and Rancher Bill of Rights.”

“Input from agricultural producers is essential to the rulemaking process,” Johnson stated. “The Packers and Stockyards Act has been around for 90 years. It’s time to start enforcing it. The Farmer and Rancher Bill of Rights will protect farmers and ranchers from anticompetitive behavior by packers and processors. Industry will no longer be allowed free rein to abuse livestock producers who have limited market power.”

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Take Action: Rescue Local/Organic Farming from One-Size-Fits-All Food Safety Bill!

From Organic Consumers Association:

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a sweeping overhaul of the food safety laws very soon – possibly as early as next week.  While the bill seeks to improve food safety, as it is currently written, S. 510 will actually make our food less safe.  S. 510 will strengthen the forces that have led to the consolidation of our food supply in the hands of a few industrial food producers, while harming small producers who give consumers the choice to buy fresh, healthy, local foods.

Please contact your Senators NOW to urge them to amend or oppose the bill!

Congress needs to solve the real problems – chemical-intensive agriculture, factory farms, industrialized and centralized food production and distribution, and often tainted imported foods – and not regulate organic and small farms out of business.  S. 510 is a “one-size-fits-all” approach that will unnecessarily burden both farmers and small-scale food processors, ultimately depriving consumers of the choice to buy from producers they know and trust.

Learn more & Take Action