National Farmers Union

WASHINGTON (July 26, 2010) – The National Farmers Union (NFU) is disappointed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) excessive 90-day extension to the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) comment period on the proposed rule, “Implementation of Regulations Required Under Title XI,” of the 2008 Farm Bill, to Nov. 22, 2010.

The proposed rule addresses concerns that have been discussed for many years and were developed at the direction of the 2008 Farm Bill that requires USDA to carry out specific rulemaking to improve fairness in the marketing of livestock and poultry.

“Extension of this comment period gives leverage for packers to offer lower prices to producers as a fear mechanism, which we have seen in the past with rules such as Country of Origin Labeling,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “NFU is an organization of producers and opposes the further extension of this comment period.”

The 2008 Farm Bill stated this rule was to be fully completed by June 18, 2010, another reason NFU is disappointed with further extension of the comment period. A 30-day extension would have allowed for plenty of time and included the allowance for comments at the USDA/Department of Justice workshop on the livestock industry in Fort Collins, Colo., to be held Aug. 27.

“This rule is for the protection of the producers and USDA has allowed for a sufficient amount of time to comment,” said Johnson. “Further extending the deadline is proof that USDA is buckling under the pressure of industry. The focus needs to be on the producers. While USDA is taking a step in the right direction with this rule, the process needs to be expedited instead of slowed down.”

National Farmers Union has been working since 1902 to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 12:45 pm and is filed under Agriculture Programs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.