The Biden Administration’s proposed changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act’s regulations have stirred controversy within the meat and poultry industry. Critics, including Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute, argue that these changes do not actually promote competition.
Instead, they believe the changes would grant excessive authority to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to intervene in business contracts, potentially leading to an increase in federal control over industry practices.
Potts contends that the proposed changes represent an overreach by the USDA, asserting that Congress did not intend to give the agency such broad authority over meat industry contracts.
North American Meat Institute (Credits: Investigate Midwest)
She argues that existing federal and state laws are already in place to address any issues related to unfair business practices, making the proposed changes unnecessary and potentially harmful. Furthermore, Potts suggests that these regulatory changes could ultimately lead to higher meat prices for consumers.
She points to other policies proposed by the Biden Administration, such as delayed modernization of pork inspection and proposed wastewater guidelines by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as additional factors that could contribute to increased costs for consumers.
Critics like Potts argue that the Biden Administration’s focus on regulatory changes within the meat and poultry industry could have unintended consequences, potentially leading to higher costs for consumers and greater federal control over business practices.
