Food & Water Watch: Coalition Urges Senate Agriculture Committee to Adopt Harkin Livestock Title and Other Livestock Market Reforms
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
1:25 PM
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CONTACT: Food & Water Watch
Patrick Woodall or Erin Greenfield
(202) 797-6550
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Coalition Urges Senate Agriculture Committee to Adopt Harkin Livestock Title and Other Livestock Market Reforms
179 Groups Press for Livestock Sector Reforms to Level Playing Field for Family Farmers
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WASHINGTON - September 7 - More than 175 farm, community, consumer, environmental and religious groups pressed the Senate Agriculture Committee to include measures to improve the livestock marketplace in the 2007 Farm Bill when it is considered in committee later this month. Reforms that improve contract fairness, eliminate the worst contract abuses for livestock producers, and restore balance to the livestock marketplace can benefit farmers, ranchers, consumers, and rural communities.
“Now is an excellent opportunity for this Congress to help not only America's farmers and ranchers but also every consumer in this country. Equitable competition and fair trade made this country great. Multi-national corporations and greed are destroying it. Congress can begin to repair the damage with a good livestock title in the farm bill,” said Mabel Dobbs, an Idaho-based rancher and Chair of Western Organization of Resource Councils’ Livestock Committee.
The House version of the Farm Bill failed to address the market conditions that have allowed the nation’s largest meatpackers and processors to exert undue control over the livestock marketplace. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is expected to introduce a Livestock Title to the Farm Bill that is a vital first step to modernize the Packers & Stockyards Act, enforce contract fairness for livestock producers, permit farmers to bargain collectively with processors and include all poultry growers under the P&SA.
“If we do not get Congress to initiate market reforms for livestock we will become modern day serfs raising livestock for the ‘kings’ of transnational meatpackers,” said South Dakota-based Rancher Karen Englehart and member of Dakota Rural Action.
The coalition delivered a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee members this week urging them to support the Harkin Livestock Title and other needed reforms. The coalition is promoting efforts to address unfair pricing mechanisms like captive-supply to ensure fair livestock prices, set limits on meatpacker ownership of livestock which can distort auction prices, and endorse the House Country-of-Origin-Labeling measure.
“The Senate needs to include necessary livestock market reforms in the Farm Bill to protect consumers and farmers or the meat monopolies will continue to drive down the livestock prices but charge consumers more at the grocery store.” said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch.
The letter is available at www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/us-farmbill/final%20_090407_competition_letter.pdf/view
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