GIPSA rules finally released

A proposed set of rules to implement key fairness provisions of the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 were released last week and drew praise from a number of farm organizations, several of which had been pushing for the rules for years.
On Dec. 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) proposed the “Fair Practices Rules,” previously known as the GIPSA rules, which are intended to facilitate competition in the livestock and poultry markets. The rules have been on hold for a number of years. They were first proposed in 2010 but were met with fierce opposition from meatpacker lobbyists who succeeded in blocking the rules by getting lawmakers to insert language into several back-to-back appropriations bills that killed the USDA’s ability to make the rules.  Read More