Farmers, ranchers, and consumers alike have been closely monitoring consolidation among corporate companies in agriculture. In an effort to fight major consolidation, National Farmers Union launched Fairness for Farmers. This campaign seeks to rally Americans to urge their Congressional leaders and the Biden administration to take concrete steps to curtail consolidation in agriculture, which negatively impacts farmers, ranchers, and consumers.
Rob Larew, NFU President said, “We launched Fairness for Farmers because we have a President who is committed to taking on the challenge of fighting consolidation in agriculture. We are all buoyed by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on ‘Promoting Competition in the Marketplace’ — a commitment from his Administration to restore fairness to our economy.”
For example, the Executive Order’s fact sheet references the four large meat-packing companies that dominate over 80% of the beef market. “Over the last five years, farmers’ share of the price of beef has dropped by more than a quarter — from 51.5 percent to 37.3 percent — while the price of beef has risen.” The fact sheet continues, “In short, family farmers and ranchers are getting less, consumers are paying more, and the big conglomerates in the middle are taking the difference.”
Fairness for Farmers is a national campaign that seeks to engage farmers and ranchers to fight for an economy that rewards hard work and ensures fair agricultural markets by:
- Encouraging farmers and ranchers to share videos of their stories online
- Advertising campaigns, both digital and radio
- Working with NFU members across the nation to engage local media
- Building national coalitions to support lawmakers and regulators in the anti-trust space to fight for strengthening our pro-competition laws and regulations
- Educating lawmakers, the media and the American people about our broken food system that allows monopolies to cheat farmers and ranchers, and charge consumers higher prices at the grocery store
NFU is calling for these solutions:
- Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) reform
- Improving price discovery and ensuring fair and accurate market information
- Facilitating competition and more diverse market opportunities
- Reinvigorated antitrust enforcement
Larew added, “I do believe we are in for a fight. The giants who dominate our food and agriculture industry are not going to be toppled without a struggle.” He concluded, “But Farmers Union members, and everyone who joined me today, are not afraid of a fight and are ready to stand up for fairness.”
For more information, visit the Fairness for Farmers webpage.
