WASHINGTON – This week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) made key procedural moves on several Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) rulemakings by submitting them to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Additionally, this week, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department jointly issued the 2023 Merger Guidelines, signaling more scrutiny when considering mergers and acquisitions. These news items cap a productive year for competition in agriculture and National Farmers Union’s Fairness for Farmers campaign.
“In 2023 we saw major progress on building a fairer and more equitable food system,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “The Biden Administration has walked the walk on their promises to promote fairness in our markets. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but 2023 was the best year for competition in agriculture in decades.”
Throughout the year, NFU supported or highlighted multiple actions taken on the state and federal level that promoted Fairness for Farmers, including:
- NFU Statement on Re-Introduction of Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act
- NFU Applauds USDA Announcement on Product of USA Labeling
- Colorado Right to Repair Law a Win for Farmers Across the Country
- NFU Participates in White House Event on Competition in the Farm Bill
- EPA Affirms Farmers’ Right to Repair
- NFU Stands in Strong Support of Right to Repair Bill
- NFU Statement on Finalized USDA Poultry Transparency Rule
Launched in 2021, the Fairness for Farmers campaign works to build fairer and more competitive agricultural markets, and to address the monopoly crisis in agriculture.
Looking ahead to 2024, NFU will continue to advocate for fairer and more transparent markets, as well as a farm bill that prioritizes competition in the economy.
President Larew added, “Farmers Union heads into 2024 with the wind at our backs. On behalf of family farmers and ranchers across the country, we’re ready to get to work.”