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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Family Farmers Take Over Offices of Trade Association Representing Factory Farms |
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by National People's Action
(No verified email address) |
04 Jun 2002
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"The packer ban is one of the most significant things Congress could do right now to support independent livestock producers and fight against corporate takeover of the food industry," said Larry Ginter, a family farmer from Rhodes, Iowa. |
ARLINGTON, VA - June 3 - Family farmers and members of a national grassroots organization commandeered the offices of the American Meat Institute in Arlington, Va., to protest the trade association's support of corporate factory farms on Monday, June 3.
The charge was led by independent family farmers who are being pushed out of business by the small number of corporations monopolizing the meat industry.
The American Meat Institute, a trade association representing corporate meat producers and packers, recently led the charge against a proposed amendment to the farm bill that would place a ban on packer ownership of livestock. The amendment would have forbidden meatpackers from owning or controlling livestock they intend to slaughter. When packers own livestock, they are at an economic advantage over independent family farmers.
"The packer ban is one of the most significant things Congress could do right now to support independent livestock producers and fight against corporate takeover of the food industry," said Larry Ginter, a family farmer from Rhodes, Iowa.
Family farmers also object to the massive air and water pollution emitted by the factory farms represented by the American Meat Institute. The trade association submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the proposed rule on factory farms. The American Meat Institute believes that the EPA should not regulate factory farms and that factory farms should not be held accountable for their pollution.
National People's Action is a coalition of hundreds of community organizations from across the country that work on issues effecting their communities such as predatory lending, community reinvestment, education, immigration, neighborhood safety and welfare rights.
NPA's farm organizations include: Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Land Stewardship Project (MN), Missouri Rural Crisis Center, and Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. |
See also:
http://www.npa-us.org/home.html
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