WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not been properly investigating anti-competitive agricultural product markets and U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso , both R-Wyo., along with 10 other senators, are working to ensure a

Competition Title is included in the upcoming Farm Bill to increase producer protections and competition.

 

The senators wrote a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee urging them to address the concerns of an unbalanced power structure between producers and packers.

 

“Consolidation and vertical integration in the livestock and poultry industry tilts the balance of power away from producers. The top four firms in the U.S. control 83 percent of cattle procurement and 66 percent of hog procurement. This places an even greater emphasis on ensuring that our markets are fair and that there be strong enforcement and oversight of the marketplace by USDA,” the senators wrote.

 

View a copy of the letter here.