Agricultural News
USDA Denied Funds to Finalize and Implement GIPSA Marketing Rule- NCBA Past President Steve Fogelsong Praises House Vote
Fri, 17 Jun 2011 06:52:09 CDT
Livestock and poultry organizations today praised House lawmakers for approving an agriculture funding bill that prevents the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from finalizing its proposed regulation on livestock and poultry marketing contracts.
The House voted 217-203 to pass legislation that funds USDA, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies for fiscal 2012, which begins Oct. 1, but denies money for USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) to promulgate the livestock and poultry marketing regulation.
Known as the GIPSA rule, the regulation was prompted by the 2008 Farm Bill. But, as 147 House members recently pointed out in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the proposed rule goes well beyond the intent of Congress and includes provisions specifically rejected during debate on the Farm Bill. Lawmakers also criticized USDA's failure to conduct an in-depth economic impact study of the proposal before it was published.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association joined with the National Pork Producers Council to hold a media teleconference on the defunding of the USDA to finalize and implement the GIPSA rule. We have comments from immediate past President of the NCBA, Steve Fogelsong, from that conference on today's Beef Buzz.
We also have reaction from a group that believes the GIPSA Competition Rule is absolutely needed to save the US cattle industry- we tell you about some of the thoughts from this release that Bill Bullard, CEO of the organization has about the House vote. AND- you can click here for the entire news release as provided to us last night by R-Calf.
To review the GIPSA rule- we refer you back to our "primer" about the proposal that attracted so much controversy for and against the conceopt. Click here for links to the actual Rule itself, plus lots of pro and con info from last year on the Rule.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the listen bar below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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