ncba.org
WASHINGTON (June 23, 2021) — Today, Mr. Mark Gardiner, the owner-operator of Gardiner Angus Ranch and an NCBA member, testified before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee on key market challenges that have long threatened the profitability of cattle and beef producers. He was joined by leading industry economists who NCBA has worked closely with to explore solutions to the current unsustainable market dynamics. The hearing titled, “Examining Markets, Transparency, and Prices from Cattle Producer to Consumer” addressed a wide range of issues, including the urgent need for robust price discovery and differing industry views on how to achieve it, greater market transparency and oversight, and expanded beef processing capacity. “As we stated in our written testimony today, the wide-ranging market challenges our producers are facing cannot be remedied with a single solution overnight,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “We must address the issues preventing our members from securing their share of the beef dollar, but we must do so in a way that respects the voices of all cattle producers, regardless of how they choose to market their cattle. We thank Mr. Gardiner for his insights, and we thank Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Boozman, and other Senators on the committee for the investment they’ve demonstrated in the issues facing America’s cattle producers. We appreciate the care taken by both the majority and minority to consult and select a witness panel that can speak to the current market dynamics from multiple angles.” The hearing today comes on the heels of growing conversation about cattle markets both in Congress and across the country. Earlier this month, NCBA led a letter with the support of 37 affiliate state cattle organizations urging the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees to address critical areas of concern in the cattle and beef industry. Multiple lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have written the U.S. Department of Justice calling for the swift conclusion of their investigation into whether or not anticompetitive practices have taken place in the meatpacking sector. NCBA was also at the forefront in 2019 of calling for an investigation after the “black swan” market event of a fire at Tyson Foods’ Finney County beef plant in Holcomb, Kansas.
Published on 7/2/2021 (3 years 172 days ago) Ranch News