Agricultural News
USDA Resurrects Unpopular GIPSA Rules, NCBA Seeks to Put Them Back in the Ground for Good
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:59:18 CDT
Taking advantage of some mixed signals from Congress, the USDA has decided to move forward with implementing the GIPSA rules which have been on ice since 2010, slipping them in during these last few weeks of the Obama administration. Farm Director Ron Hays spoke with Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association who says the fact that they are resurrecting these rules for implementation, is a big worry.
"We are concerned because these provisions are very similar to what we saw with the 2010 proposal that we worked so hard to try to defeat and defund," Woodall said. "The fact that these are back concern us and really we're talking about the definition of competitive injury and undue or unfair preference."
In laymen's terms, Woodall says that just means the USDA is going to define what is fair in the cattle marketplace. Doing this he says would threaten the industry's alternative marketing arrangements and value added programs.
"We definitely don't think they should be defining what is fair in the marketplace," Woodall said. "It's going to cause trial lawyers to take that definition and run with it. There could be any opportunity in the world to come out and sue other producers, feeders and packers."
Woodall asserts any definition the USDA could derive would simply be too subjective, leaving producers totally exposed to frivolous lawsuits. He insists NCBA and other industry partners hold no confidence in the government to make any decisions for the benefit of cattlemen and will work moving forward to make sure these rules are not put in place. He says if the USDA wanted to help the industry, they could work to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership passed, and get US beef back into China.
Listen to Farm Director Ron Hays speak with Colin Woodall of NCBA about USDA's push to implement the GIPSA rules, on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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