The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) said in a press release the Biden administration’s proposed changes to the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act would inhibit the industry’s ability to respond to consumers’ demand for sustainability.
“In the case of beef, farmers and ranchers produce cattle using 33 percent less land, 12 percent less water and with a 16 percent smaller carbon footprint in 2007 compared to 1977. That is an astounding sustainability success story,” said Julie Anna Potts, NAMI president and CEO. “The U.S. meat industry cannot continue to build on this remarkable sustainable productivity growth and meet consumer expectations if the government restricts interactions between packers and producers. Government intervention could jeopardize the gains made to date, as well as the industry’s ability to provide the products customers demand in the future.”
In written testimony to the House Committee on Agriculture, NAMI stated the proposed changes discourage the use of alternative marketing arrangements—“the very tools that have improved efficiency, productivity, and risk management over the past two decades and allowed the sector to meet consumer expectations for increased beef quality.”
