Bipartisan mill aims to increase fairness, add transparency to the cattle market

From the Office of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester

In his continued push to support Montana cattle producers and add transparency to the cattle market, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., reintroduced his bipartisan Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, which would establish minimums for negotiated sales and require clear reporting of marketing contracts. The bill is co-led by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore..

“As a third-generation farmer, I know Montanans are getting hurt by the four massive meat packing corporations that have made a fortune price gouging consumers and undercutting Montana ranchers,” Tester said. “That’s why I’m taking on these special interests and their allies in Washington, D.C., and will do whatever it takes to cut costs for working families and give producers a fair shake.”

As the Senate’s only working farmer, Tester has long been Montana’s leading champion for family farmers and ranchers. He recently re-introduced his Meat Packing Special Investigator Act to fight consolidation by appointing a special investigator within USDA to address and prevent anticompetitive practices in the meat and poultry industries.

Last April, Tester testified in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee in support of his bipartisan anti-consolidation bills and in May, he pressed USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on how the Biden Administration planned to tackle the anti-competitive practices jacking up consumer prices and putting Montana ranchers out of business.

Last month, Tester also reintroduced his bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act, which would reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling for beef, adding more transparency to the beef industry, and give American producers a fair shake. 

Finally, earlier this month, as a direct response to Tester’s push, USDA launched its pilot Cattle Contracts Library to increase cattle pricing transparency and help cattle producers take advantage of opportunities to better compete in the marketplace. Senator Tester’s Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act would build on this pilot by making the Cattle Contracts Library permanent.