10/10/05 Mandatory price reporting expired

American Rancher October 10, 2005 The law requiring mandatory price reporting by meat packers expired at the end of September but Randall Jones of the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service says most of the reports are being published as usual. He says that for the most part the 117 meat packers that were reporting prices are cooperating and are continuing to supply the data that USDA uses to put together market price reports. Jones: "Currently we continue to operate under a voluntary system wherein these facilities have agreed to provide this information to us and until further action is taken by Congress we'll continue to have to seek the voluntary cooperation from the packers." 16 Congress meanwhile continues to wrangle over whether the mandatory program should be extended and if so, for how long. The House has passed a five-year extension of the law. The Senate a one year extension, which is what Bill Bullard of R-CALF USA says his organization supports because a Government Accountability Office report on the issue is due out later this year. Bullard: "Give us an opportunity to review this report that is expected to come out in December so that we can make the necessary improvements so we can add greater transparency to the U.S. live cattle market place." The House five-year extension did make some changes to improve transparency in the pork market but left mandatory reporting requirements for beef packers unchanged. I'm Bob Hoff.