R-CALF Testifies on Antitrust Impacts

R-CALF, United Stock Growers of America, was recently invited to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on antitrust issues. CEO Bill Bullard recaps the hearing and the key issues that he testified on.

“We testified on the negative impact that concentration is having on our food system. And of course, we talked specifically about the cattle and sheep industry and the need for immediate reforms, the need to provide producers the ability to compete in the marketplace, and that's where mandatory Country of Origin Labeling comes in. And we talked about how the Beef Checkoff Program, unfortunately, is being used in order to work against the very reforms that our industry needs to begin rebuilding our diminished supply chains.”

Bullerd stresses the need to enforce the Packers and stockyards act and to have protections for independent livestock producers against the inherent buying power that the four large packers possess.

“It was a good discussion. We had bipartisan support. Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri complained about how the industry is highly concentrated and how that's negatively impacting producers who are not receiving a fair value for their livestock in the marketplace, and how consumers are paying an inflated the price for these important food stuff.”

R-CALF USA CEO, Bill Bullard.