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Comment extension for Packers and Stockyards Act Rulemaking welcomed news

The USDA has extended the comment period for the proposed Packers and Stockyards Act Rulemaking.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Tanner Beymer says the rule raises far more questions than it provides answers. 

He says the rulemaking is a significant undertaking and says the organization is urging the USDA to proceed in a cautious, deliberative manner.  “Forty-five days is welcomed,” he says.  “I don’t know if it necessarily addresses the substantial question that the agency poses to commenters in the rule itself.  But it is a good step in the right direction.”

He tells Brownfield it is crucial that the USDA gets the rule correct.  “The livestock markets are some of the most complex in the world,” he says.  “If we make little adjustments here and there that can actually have a pretty big impact on the way we do business.”

Beymer says the proposed Packers and Stockyards Act rule spans 180 pages, poses 44 specific questions, and covers more than 14 years of regulatory history. NCBA and other national livestock partners requested the extension last month in a letter to the USDA.  In addition, a coalition secured 100 bipartisan signatures on a congressional letter, led by Representative Jim Costa (D-CA) and Steve Womack (R-AR). 

He says the initial 60-day comment period was too short for stakeholders to provide meaningful feedback.

AUDIO: Tanner Beymer, NCBA