NSAC's Blog


COMMENT: New Fair Competition Rules for Livestock and Poultry Industry Advanced

January 10, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana KovalcikNational Sustainable Agriculture CoalitionP: 202-547-5754, E: rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net  New Fair Competition Rules for Livestock and Poultry Industry Advanced USDA takes small step forward in decades long rules debate Washington, DC, January 10, 2020 – For years, American livestock and poultry producers have spoken out about the unfair and abusive practices of contract […]

Farmers are Shouting; USDA Should Listen

September 12, 2019

Consolidation of the livestock sector has severely damaged competitive markets, livestock producer livelihoods, and rural qualities of life. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and our allies have long fought against this trend, and secured many significant victories for family farmers; ensuring, for example, that the 2008 Farm Bill require the Packers and Stockyards Act […]

USDA to Tackle Corporate Concentration in Livestock Sector

July 2, 2019

Rising consolidation among meatpacking and processing companies over the past few decades has steadily eroded fair competition within the poultry and livestock industries. Despite years of clamoring from producers and advocacy organizations like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) for legislation and regulations needed to address this problem, progress has so far been painfully slow […]

COMMENT: Administration Chooses Corporate Profit Over Family Farmers

October 17, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Administration Chooses Corporate Profit Over Family Farmers This is truly a sad day for American farmers. Without the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule on competitive injury, it will be virtually impossible for family farmers to defend themselves against unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory practices by packers and poultry dealers. […]

Trump Administration Undertaking Historic Reorganizing of USDA, But to What End?

September 15, 2017

Back in May, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a USDA reorganization plan that eliminated its Rural Development Mission Area and downgraded the status of what was the Under Secretary for Rural Development to an Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, closing the Office of the Under Secretary in the process. […]

Support the Farmer Fair Practices Rules, Comments Due Monday!

June 8, 2017

The deadline to submit your individual or organization’s comments in support of the Farmer Fair Practices Interim Final Rule (aka the “competitive injury rule”) is Monday, June 12. The Farmer Fair Practices Rules are a critical set of changes that would bring more fairness and equity to the contract agriculture system by allowing the US […]

A Late Start Doesn’t Have to Mean a Slow Start: 10 Things Secretary Perdue Can Do Now to Support Family Farmers

April 26, 2017

On his first day on the job, Sonny Perdue – a former two-term governor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) long-awaited new Secretary – addressed two very important audiences. The first, a formal introduction to USDA staff, was an opportunity for the Secretary to lay out his general vision for the department’s next four […]

If Trump Stands with Rural America, He Will Expedite the Farmer Fair Practices Rules

March 28, 2017

Editors Note: On April 13, 2017 USDA delayed the effective date for the interim final rule on “competitive injury” until October of 2017.  A separate Federal Register Notice requests comments by June 12, 2017 on the disposition of the interim final rule including whether it should be delayed further, withdrawn, suspended, or allowed to go […]

PRESS RELEASE: Executive Order Delays All Pending Final Rules

January 23, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik, 202-547-5754, RKovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net Greg Fogel, 202-547-5754, GFogel@sustainableagriculture.net   Executive Order Delays All Pending Final Rules Farmer Fair Practices Rules, designed to protect rights of contract farmers, included among those delayed Washington, DC, January 23, 2017 – On Friday, January 21, the Trump Administration directed agencies to delay by 60 days […]

USDA Publishes Farmer Fair Practices Rules to Help American Farmers and Ranchers

December 15, 2016

USDA has taken the historic step of issuing three rules that will begin to bring some fairness and order to the poultry and livestock industries, with a particular focus on farmers growing under contracts with the big meat and poultry processing corporations. These three rules, when finalized, will prevent unfair and anti-competitive practices by meat […]

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