US House denies GIPSA poultry marketing regulation funding

The U.S. House has passed legislation that funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies for fiscal year 2012, but denies money for USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration to push its livestock and poultry marketing regulation.
Known as the GIPSA rule, the regulation was prompted by the 2008 Farm Bill. But according to detractors, the proposed rule goes beyond the intent of Congress and includes provisions specifically rejected during debate on the Farm Bill. Also under scrutiny is the USDA’s lack of an in-depth economic impact study of the proposal before it was published.
“We commend the House for voting to rein in the USDA’s GIPSA, which went far beyond its mandate from Congress in developing a rule on production and marketing of livestock and poultry,” said Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council. “We have consistently urged the USDA to go back to the drawing board and produce a rule that responds to its instructions from Congress rather than trying to destroy the existing system as the proposed rule does. Now we hope that the U.S. Senate will see the wisdom in the House action and follow suit.”