Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD-At Large) announced he is reintroducing two bills aimed at increasing competition in the meatpacking industry.
Johnson and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) introduced the Butcher Block Act, which would assist new and expanded livestock or meat processors in improving market options for livestock producers, further competitive markets and facilitate value-added opportunities for livestock producers.
Initially introduced in July 2021, the bill was endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and U.S. Cattlemen’s Association.
Also reintroduced by Johnson and Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO-4) is the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A-PLUS) Act. The A-PLUS Act would revise the Packers and Stockyards Act to give livestock auction owners the ability to invest in packers with a slaughter capacity of less than 2,000 head per day and less than 700,000 head per year of cattle and sheep.
