SPRINGFIELD — Editor:
I’m writing to urge your readers to weigh in on a federal regulation that would fundamentally change the way livestock and poultry are bought and sold in this country and, ultimately, would raise the price of meat for consumers.
I also want to thank President Trump for recently delaying implementation of that regulation, which is misnamed the Farmer Fair Practices Rules. The postponement will give farmers like me more time to educate bureaucrats at USDA about the devastating effects this rule would have on agriculture.
The regulation automatically would make certain actions violations of the federal Packers and Stockyards Act even if they didn’t harm competition or cause competitive injury, which must be proved under existing law.
Doing that would create legal uncertainty for meat packing companies, which likely would take action to avoid that risk by owning and raising more of their own animals. That could force some farmers out of business, leading to less, not more competition in the livestock industry.
We need all of agriculture to urge the Trump administration and USDA to withdraw this regulation, which would be bad for farmers, bad for packers and bad for American consumers. Submit comments on the rule at www.federalregister.gov
Sincerely,
Jason Propst
President, Illinois Pork Producers Association
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