Iowa’s family farmers must retain and increase their access to fair and open markets in both livestock and plant/grain production. The increasing vertical integration and horizontal consolidation of the agricultural sector has eroded this open market access and driven prices below the cost of production.

One way to ensure market access for Iowa’s independent pork producers is to make permanent the two-year provision in the Attorney General’s settlement with Smithfield Foods requiring them to purchase 25 percent of their animals on the open spot market. IFU introduced a bill toward this end in 2006 and it received unanimous approval in both House and Senate ag committees. Then it was prevented from coming to the floor for a vote.

We will work with legislators to reintroduce the bill in 2007. For a copy of the language, call 800-775-5227.