The comment period for USDA’s latest proposed rule for the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act closed Sept. 11.
Ag groups submitted a range of comments on the rule, which defines unfair practices under the act. “Changing the harm to competition standard requires Congressional action and that fact is highlighted by the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA,” said Mark Dopp, chief operating officer and general counsel of the Meat Institute. “In addition, the proposal includes standards so vague that, if adopted, it would be impossible for a regulated entity to know how to comply.”
Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, USA wrote that while the group agrees with the Agricultural Marketing Service’s interpretation of the scope of the P&S Act, additional clarity is needed.
