Other Political Science Commons^™

The 2002 Senate Farm Bill: The Ban On Packer Ownership Of Livestock, Roger A. Mceowen, Peter C. Carstensen, Neil E. Harl

Neil E. Harl

On December 13, 2001, the United States Senate approved an amendment to the Senate Farm Bill making it unlawful for a packer to own, feed, or control livestock intended for slaughter more than fourteen days prior to slaughter. 1 The amendment includes exemptions for packing houses owned by farmer cooperatives, and packers with less than two percent of national slaughter. The amendment was approved 51-46, and became part of the Senate Farm Bill.2 In early 2002, the amendment language was clarified to prohibit arrangements that give packers ―operational, managerial, or supervisory control over the livestock, or over the farming operation …