National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

The Competitive and Fair Agricultural Markets Act of 2007 (H.R. 2135)

May 18, 2007

The Honorable Leonard Boswell, Chairman
House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
United States House of Representatives
1427 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Boswell:

The undersigned agricultural organizations commend you for your recent introduction of The Competitive and Fair Agricultural Markets Act of 2007 (H.R. 2135).

As representatives of the ranchers and farmers of America, we look forward to a Farm Bill that restores profitability and fairness to agricultural markets. We believe that your competition reform bill and its companion bill in the Senate (S. 622) represent the benchmark for providing producers with critical market reforms.

These reforms are needed because the continuing concentration in livestock production has moved beyond what is necessary for efficiency and become solely an effort to gain market power, access and total control. As a result of this concentration, efficient producers have left or will be forced to leave livestock production.The resulting impact on rural communities will have lasting consequences that will harm producers, rural economies and consumers.

While many of us support other competition and marketing provisions including, but not limited to, reform of the beef checkoff, instituting a ban on packer ownership and ending the practice of captive supply, we all agree that H.R. 2135 must be viewed as the foundation from which other issues can grow. The work of your subcommittee on the 2007 Farm Bill must contain the competition reforms outlined in H.R. 2135 to be considered a success for American agricultural producers.

We look forward to working with you and your colleagues on the 2007 Farm Bill and ensuring that market reforms outlined in H.R. 2135 are passed.

Sincerely,