National Farmers Union this week launched Fairness for Farmers, a campaign fighting for stronger enforcement of antitrust laws and breaking up the corporate monopolies that it argues “unfairly take advantage of farmers and consumers.”
With the Biden administration issuing an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, now is the time to build momentum for competitive markets and fairness across the agriculture industry, according to NFU President Rob Larew.
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;
–and reinvigorated antitrust enforcement.
Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden and members joined farmers from throughout the country on a campaign launch event Sept. 22.
“The effects of consolidation in agriculture can be seen across the countryside, from empty barns to hurting Main Streets,” says Von Ruden. “Concentration in agriculture has been squeezing farmers for years, and we can see it in the rapid farm loss witnessed throughout the past decade. Farmers have been squeezed by the cost of rising inputs and have watched corporations rake in record profits as their neighbors go bankrupt. It’s time that farmers and consumers stand together to fight for the food system they want for future generations.”
The Fairness for Farmers campaign is fighting for an economy that rewards hard work and ensures fair agricultural markets by:
–encouraging farmers and ranchers to share videos of their stories online;
–building national coalitions to support lawmakers and regulators in the anti-trust space to fight for strengthened pro-competition laws and regulations;
–and educating lawmakers, the media and Americans about the “broken” food system that WFU argues allows monopolies to cheat farmers while charging consumers higher prices at the grocery store.
The campaign encourages people to contact their senators and representatives in Congress as well as the Biden administration to call for concrete steps to curtail consolidation in agriculture.
“The giants who dominate our food and agriculture industry are not going to be toppled without a struggle,” Larew says. “But Farmers Union members are not afraid of a fight and are ready to stand up for fairness.”
