FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net 

Tel. 347.563.6408

Comment: NSAC Responds to the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606

Washington, DC, June 17, 2022 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Eric Deeble, NSAC Policy Director, in response to the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606 which passed yesterday in the House. 

“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the House for taking decisive action to support the creation of a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) special investigator to enforce fair-play rules in the highly concentrated meatpacking industry when they passed the Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act – H.R. 7606 on Thursday. This fundamental reform would create the “Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters” within the USDA Packers and Stockyards Division, which oversees the implementation of the Packers and Stockyards Act.”

This office would address anticompetitive practices in the meat industry by facilitating the coordination and consultation between the USDA, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission. NSAC is particularly pleased to see that the House version includes the poultry sector. NSAC urges the Senate to support the creation of the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters when they meet next week and to provide appropriated funds to ensure USDA can build a team of professionals and lawyers dedicated to implementing and enforcing antitrust and anti-competitive rules.”

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net