The National Farmers Union (NFU) doesn’t understand the House Appropriations Committee’s passage of amendment designed to further stall the Grain Inspection and Stockyards Protection Administration (GIPSA) rule after Congress let the USDA implement a provision included in the 2008 Farm Bill to provide needed marketplace protections to contract farmers.

“The idea that the House Appropriations Committee would ignore the progress we’ve made towards finalizing this important set of rules is completely appalling. The action is a direct assault on family farmers and ranchers in this country,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “NFU will work hard to ensure that this partisan amendment never becomes law and that USDA is allowed to do its job.”

The GIPSA rule would address abusive contracting and marketing practices in the highly concentrated livestock and poultry sectors – such as prohibiting retaliation for farmers who speak to USDA or with members of Congress and requiring transparency in how pay is calculated. An annual appropriations rider had repeatedly blocked the USDA from implementing the final rule, until late last year when lawmakers omitted the rider from the congressional appropriations omnibus bill.

The amendment would bar USDA from writing rules that address unjust discriminatory practices, such as retaliation against farmers who speak out about unfair practices. The roadblock erected today was “disheartening,” given the recent progress and commitment from lawmakers and the administration towards implementation of the regulation, Johnson explained.

At the NFU Annual Convention in March, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack pledged to make the GIPSA rule a priority during the remainder of his tenure. Shortly thereafter, eight congressional champions for agriculture wrote a letter to Vilsack, voicing their support for GIPSA.