Livestock associations critical of Grassley amendment

Two national livestock associations are criticizing an amendment to the U-S Farm Bill made by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley that’d ban packer ownershipof livestock. Grassley says the National Cattlemens Assocation and theNational Pork Producers have “sided with the packers since day one.”Grassley says rural America will pay the ultimate price if Congress doesn’tpass this amendment to enable independent producers to compete in themarketplace. The House version of the Farm Bill does not contain anamendment banning packer ownership of livestock, but the Senate versiondoes. Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle of Manchester, and others, plan tointroduce the ban as a separate bill in the House, but Grassley says thatwon’t do any good. Grassley says if the legislation banning packers fromowning livestock isn’t included in the full Farm Bill, it likely will notpass at all.