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The US Department of Agriculture is proposing regulations to
prevent meat companies from retaliating against livestock and poultry farmers
who speak out about practices such as price-fixing, the agency said last Monday
(September 26, 2022).
The USDA also said it will work with state attorneys general
to investigate anticompetitive practices in the agricultural sector that
contribute to inflation.
The moves are part of a broader effort by the Biden
administration aimed at increasing competition in the highly concentrated meat
industry.
The White House intends to tout the plans on Monday at the
third meeting of President Joe Biden's competition council, which was created
in 2021.
The USDA said its new rule would prohibit meat companies from retaliating against farmers and ranchers who take part in "lawful communications" and whistle-blowing on price-fixing or who participate in associations. It would also seek to protect farmers who may be at a higher risk for mistreatment because of their race, gender, sexuality, or religion, the agency said.
The rule would revise regulations under the Packers and
Stockyards Act, a century-old law meant to protect farmers from unfair market
practices.
It would identify "unlawfully deceptive practices"
that violate the act, including those related to the formation and termination
of contracts between farmers and meat companies, the USDA said.
In May, the USDA proposed another rule that would require
poultry companies to be more transparent with contract chicken growers. The
rules aim to improve on previous USDA efforts to protect farmers. See more.
|Source: Online/SZK
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