Fairness for Small Farmers Act: Halting Mergers and Boosting Market Competition.
This legislation imposes a temporary halt on major mergers in the food and agriculture sector and mandates a review of past acquisitions to restore market competition. It reintroduces mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork and extends it to dairy products, providing consumers with greater transparency about where their food comes from. Crucially, it strengthens protections for small farmers against unfair practices by large processors, aiming to increase their bargaining power and financial stability.
Key points
Imposes a moratorium on large agribusiness and grocery retail mergers and authorizes the retroactive unwinding of harmful mergers since 2006.
Restores mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork, and adds dairy products, increasing consumer knowledge of food sourcing.
Requires large meatpackers to purchase a minimum percentage of livestock through competitive spot market sales from nonaffiliated producers.
Strengthens farmer protections under the Packers and Stockyards Act, including guaranteed minimum prices for poultry contracts and mandatory attorney fees for prevailing plaintiffs.
Increases funding for beginning, retiring, and socially disadvantaged farmers and provides grants for developing local and regional processing infrastructure.
Expired
Citizen Poll