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Expanding Local Meat Processing Act of 2025
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to amend regulations to allow for certain packers to have an interest in market agencies, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to revise regulations to allow smaller meat packers to have financial interests in market agencies (livestock sales/auction operations) that sell animals to them. The exemption applies to packers with slaughter capacities below specified thresholds: less than 2,000 cattle or sheep per day (or 700,000 per year) or less than 10,000 hogs per day (or 3,000,000 per year). When a market agency has ownership, financing, or management interests in a packer, it must disclose this relationship on sale documents. The Secretary retains authority to enforce other regulations protecting producers, competition, and market integrity.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
2 cosponsors
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA)
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS)
Actions (2)
- Feb 27, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. · senate
- Feb 27, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 27, 2025
Mr. Lujan (for himself and Ms. Ernst) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to amend regulations to allow for certain packers to have an interest in market agencies, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Expanding Local Meat Processing Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. ALLOWED INTEREST OF CERTAIN PACKERS IN MARKET AGENCIES.
(a) In General.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall revise section 201.67 of title 9, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act), to exempt the packers described in subsection
(b) from the prohibition described in that section.
(b) Packers Described.—A packer referred to in subsection (a) is a packer that—
(1) with respect to cattle or sheep, has a cumulative slaughter capacity of less than—
(A) 2,000 animals per day; or
(B) 700,000 animals per year; and
(2) with respect to hogs, has a cumulative slaughter capacity of less than—
(A) 10,000 animals per day; or
(B) 3,000,000 animals per year.
(c) Required Disclosure.—In the case of a market agency that has an ownership interest in, finances, or participates in the management or operation of a packer to which the market agency sells consigned livestock, the market agency shall disclose on the account of sale the name of the packer and the nature of the relationship between the market agency and the packer.
(d) Savings Clause.—Nothing in this section limits the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to adopt or enforce rules or regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), relating to the protection of producers, competition, market integrity, or the prevention of conflicts of interest. <all>
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