Ensuring Fair Markets
Partners in Fair and Competitive Markets
USDA is working with our partners at the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and other White House Competition Council member agencies to fully utilize laws and regulations already on the books, and to bring bad actors to account.
A Modern Set of Packers and Stockyards Rules
USDA is preparing new proposed rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act to address poultry contracting and tournaments, unfair practices and undue preferences, and the harm to competition burdens from the courts. In the meantime, USDA is committed to the enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act to the maximum extent possible under a new enforcement policy announced in August 2021.
Product of USA/Consumer Transparency
USDA is already hard at work clarifying the “Product of USA” label for beef. American consumers depend upon accurate, transparent labels to obtain important information about the food they consume. American farmers and ranchers depend upon those same labels to convey information about their products that consumers value and demand. USDA is working to conduct consumer testing and economic analysis to support a rulemaking on the voluntary “Product of USA” label.
Price Transparency and Fairness in Livestock Trading
USDA remains committed to enhancing the transparency, price discovery function, and the fairness of the livestock markets using traditional Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) tools. In August of 2021, AMS through its Market News service announced two new reports that enhanced transparency in cattle markets for cattle traded today through contractual arrangements outside of the cash negotiated spot markets.
