Food & Agriculture

CFA Asks USDA to Follow Through on Long Overdue Contract Farmer Protections

Consumer Federation of America has submitted comments in support of two proposed rules and an interim final rule that would protect chicken and other contract livestock farmers from unfair and uncompetitive practices by large meat processing companies. According to recent USDA estimates, over half of poultry growers have just one or two processors in their state or region on which they must depend, and 71 percent of growers whose sole source of income is chicken farming live below the poverty line. These rules, popularized in 2015 by the comedian John Oliver, would take a needed step towards empowering livestock farmers to better support rural communities and satisfy consumer demand.