WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently reintroduced his Farm System Reform Act, suggesting that many of its measures would help the livestock industry and the cattlemen who are wanting a legislative solution to the limited processing capacity.
Booker, a new member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, says the legislation would place an immediate moratorium on new confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and end the expansion of larger operations. In addition, the legislation would phase out the largest CAFOs as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency by the year 2040. The phase out would offer incentives for those who want to transition out of the industry by providing a voluntary buyout.
Sen. Booker also says his legislation will strengthen the Packers and Stockyards Act to protect family farmers and ranchers by prohibiting the use tournament or ranking systems for paying contract growers; protect livestock and poultry farmers from retaliation; create market transparency while protecting producers from predatory purchasing practices; restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling (M-COOL) requirements for beef and pork and expand the definition to cover dairy products; and finally, will prohibit USDA from labeling foreign imported meat products as “Product of USA”.
The Farm System Reform Act is co-sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). A companion bill has been filed in the House by Rep. Ro Khana (D-CA).
(SOURCE: All Ag News)