Web site: www.competitivemarkets.com
Date:
Contact: Fred Stokes: 662.476.5568
Michael C. Stumo: 860.379.6199
OCM Says Farm Bill Without Packer Ban Should Be Rejected
OCM said today that there should not be a farm bill unless a
packer ownership prohibition is contained within it. The structure of agriculture is the main
issue facing the future – or lack of future – of
“Past farm bills have either not addressed market power issues or helped to increase the market power of agri-industry,” said Fred Stokes, president of OCM. “The decline in farm gate competition is at a point where it must be addressed. Otherwise, the next farm bill will be an agribusiness bill because there will be few if any farmers and ranchers remaining.”
OCM expressed concern that conferees lack a connection to the priority concerns of producers. Every poll on the topic shows that vast majorities of citizens think agribusinesses have too much power. Further, every poll on packer ownership reveals that the public does not believe that packers should engage in production agriculture.
“If the conferees are not reflecting the will of their constituents, whose agenda are they pushing?” asked Michael Stumo, OCM general counsel. “Over 200 farm, rural, faith, consumer and environmental groups support the packer ownership provision. If the conferees do not address the structure of the livestock industry by supporting the packer ownership provision, the farm bill should be rejected.”
The only groups that oppose the measure have meat packers on their boards and rely on meat packers for all or part of their funding. One of those opposition groups, the National Pork Producers Council, has official member policy on the books choosing neutrality on this issue. But the NPPC board voted to act contrary to member policy.
The Organization for Competitive Markets is a multidisciplinary, nonprofit group of farmers, ranchers, academics, attorneys, and policy makers dedicated to reclaiming the agricultural marketplace for independent farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
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