In one of his last official acts in the waning days of the Biden administration, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the third installment in a series of regulatory reforms under the Packers and Stockyards Act.

Along with other finalized updates, this completes a major regulatory reform intended to “level the playing field for farmers who raise chicken, turkeys, hogs, cattle, and sheep under contract or for sale to meat and poultry processing companies.”

Specifically, the rule announced today will give chicken farmers better insight into companies’ payment rates for their birds, will institute stability and fairness in what is commonly known as the ‘tournament system,’ will provide farmers with key information on capital improvements the companies require farmers to make in order to keep or renew contracts, and give farmers stronger leverage when companies do not adhere to the rules.

“During my time as Secretary of Agriculture, time and again USDA has been confronted with the stories of farmers who lost their life’s savings or went bankrupt because of an unfair system they entered into when they agreed to raise animals for a major meat conglomerate. It is USDA’s job to advocate for farmers, and these regulatory improvements give us the strongest tools we’ve ever had to meet our obligations under the Packers & Stockyards Act,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Find all the details here and listen to a press conference with Sec. Vilsack and Andy Green, USDA Competition Senior Advisor, below.
USDA Packers and Stockyards final (23:20)