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Ranchers press Senate for Packers & Stockyards enforcement, checkoff reforms and country‑of‑origin labeling
Summary
Ranchers and industry advocates told a Senate subcommittee that four large packers control roughly 80% of beef processing, leaving independent producers with declining incomes; witnesses urged enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act, completing USDA rulemaking and advancing bills including the OFF Act and a beef labeling measure.
Bill Bullard, chief executive of R‑CALF USA, told the subcommittee mid‑hearing that consolidation in meatpacking has left independent ranchers at a disadvantage and rural communities diminished. “In 1980, the 4 largest packers controlled 36% of the fed cattle market. Today, they control approximately 80%,” Bullard said, describing the market as a bottleneck that depresses prices paid to producers while keeping consumer beef prices high.
Why it matters: Witnesses argued that concentrated buyer power in processing squeezes ranchers and can harm consumers and rural economies. They asked Congress and federal agencies to complete rulemaking under the Packers and Stockyards Act, police unfair buying practices, and reform mandatory producer assessments known as checkoff programs.
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