NFU Leads Letter to Congress: Uphold Packers and Stockyards Act Progress

From National Farmers Union

This week, National Farmers Union (NFU) sent a letter to Appropriations Committee leadership opposing harmful restrictions that would undo important work to revitalize the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act) to better protect family farmers and ranchers.

The letter, signed by national, regional, and state organizations, points out that “opponents of competitive agricultural markets are seeking to roll back the work USDA has already completed, prevent USDA from making additional progress on these rules, and prevent any similar effort in the future.”

Damaging provisions were included in an earlier version of the FY24 Appropriations bill, and this same strategy was used by opponents of the P&S Act during previous administrations.

“Blocking USDA’s work would be a direct hit to fair markets,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “Congress should champion family farmers and consumers, not bow to meatpacking monopolies. We urge them to discard this harmful proposal once and for all.”

Just this week, USDA’s first updated P&S Act rule went into effect, with many more important rules to follow. As part of the Fairness for Farmers campaign, NFU is fighting for more transparency in agricultural markets, including critical updates and stronger enforcement of existing laws, such as the Packers and Stockyards Act.