The National Chicken Council, along with the National Turkey Federation, North American Meat Institute, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council, sent a letter this week to Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and Larry Mitchell, Administrator of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), requesting that the agency reopen the comment period associated with the controversial GIPSA rule.
The letter stated that in March 2016 Secretary Vilsack announced that GIPSA was again working on the proposed rule and intended to move forward with some elements of that proposal. NCC and the other groups signing this week’s letter submitted comments in 2010 voicing their significant opposition to the proposed rule. “The opposition expressed six years ago remains as staunch as ever, and we urge the agency to abandon the proposed rule because of the significant adverse effect adopting it would have on the meat and poultry industry, particularly the producer community, who will be disproportionately affected,” the groups said.
“Should you move forward with this effort we respectively request that the agency reopen the rulemaking docket associated with the proposed rule. Reopening the comment period will allow interested stakeholders to provide additional comments regarding the significant changes and developments in the livestock, meat, and poultry industry in the more than six years since the proposed rule was published.”
“Given the time that has passed since the agency published the proposed rule six years ago, the undersigned organizations respectfully request that, if the agency still believes one or more of the elements of the proposed rule should be considered, the rulemaking on those issues begin anew, or at the very least the comment period be reopened to afford stakeholders a meaningful opportunity to gather and provide updated information about the current state of the livestock industry and everyone who would be affected by the proposed rule,” the letter concluded. The complete letter is available here
Secretary Vilsack appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday and was questioned by several members of the committee regarding where the GIPSA rule stands. The Secretary did not say directly during the hearing or to reporters afterward whether there would be a public comment period. Instead, Vilsack said only that USDA would follow the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act.
“There’s no intent or desire on the part of USDA as long as I am Secretary to sort of foist something on folks without the opportunity for them to understand what it is or say whether it is right or wrong,” Vilsack told Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). “I can assure you we’re not going to play a situation where we at the last minute do something and folks have no recourse.”
