Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, outlined the organization’s multifront battle to protect independent U.S. cattle producers, with Farm Director KC Sheperd, focusing on key legislative efforts, long-running litigation against meatpacking giants, and the core threat to the industry’s survival.
Push for Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (M-COOL)
A primary focus for R-CALF is the reinstatement of Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef. Bullard confirmed active efforts are underway to make this a reality through federal legislation.
“We do have legislation that has been introduced in the US Senate by Senator John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader,” Bullard stated. “We are working on getting legislation introduced in the House, too, because we want to be spooled up for the farm bill. When Congress begins work on the Farm Bill, we intend to include mandatory country of origin labeling for beef.”
Antitrust Lawsuit Sees Major Settlement
For six years, R-CALF has been involved in a landmark class-action antitrust lawsuit against the four largest beef packers, alleging market manipulation. The case recently achieved a significant milestone with a proposed settlement from one of the defendants.
“We recently reached a proposed settlement with JBS, one of the four defendants in the case, and the amount of that proposed settlement was 83 and a half million, and the courts have granted preliminary approval of it,” Bullard announced.
He urged cattle feeders who sold fed cattle directly to any of the four major packers between June 1, 2015, and February 29, 2020, to file a claim. “They can go to the website – it is cattleantitrustsettlement.com – and get the information there,” Bullard advised.
He cautioned that the full legal process is lengthy, with the case now involving virtually every segment of the beef supply chain. The next major step is a hearing on class certification expected later this summer, with a potential trial still two years away.
On Industry Independence and Outside Influence
When asked about his thoughts on cattle associations reportedly accepting “Earth fund money,” Bullard warned against such moves, framing it as a threat to the industry’s autonomy.
“One of the biggest problems that our industry has is that we’re influenced unduly by forces that should not be influencing the industry,” he said. “Once you accept money from someone who has a policy position and agenda, then you’re suddenly wrapped up in that agenda on your own. We think that we need to maintain independence, and the way you maintain independence is you self-fund what you’re doing.”
The “Single Greatest Threat” to Producers
When asked about the most significant danger facing U.S. cattle producers, Bullard was unequivocal.
“The single greatest threat is lack of competition in the cattle markets,” he said. He identified the intertwined issues of “free trade globalization” and packer consolidation as the root cause. “The ability of the concentrated meat packers to source beef and cattle from around the world and then sell it to unsuspecting consumers here in America as if it were a domestic product is displacing domestic production.”
Bullard argued that with four packers controlling 80% of the market, the industry suffers from a lack of competition on two fronts: globalization and concentration. To combat this, R-CALF is advocating for the use of tariffs to protect domestic producers.
“We have been calling upon the administration to institute tariff rate quotas and tariffs for both the cattle and the sheep industry,” he said. “We’ve got to take steps to protect our domestic supply chains.”
Upcoming Convention to Tackle Critical Issues
These topics will be at the forefront of the R-CALF convention on June 18th and 19th. The event will feature attorneys leading the antitrust and electronic ID mandate lawsuits, as well as discussions on the Packers and Stockyards Act and private property rights.
Confirmed speakers include Congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming and Senator Mike Rounds. Bullard stressed that despite historically high nominal prices, the industry remains in a precarious state.
“Even in the face of the highest nominal prices in history, our industry is still in crisis because we haven’t changed the structure of the marketplace,” Bullard warned. “Unless we change the structure of the broken marketplace, our industry is susceptible to anomalies, like what we saw in 2015 when prices fell further and faster than any time in history before.”
