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Senate Gives Preliminary Approval to Rewrite Livestock Pricing Law

This is Kellie Applen from Missouri Capital Caucus.

The Missouri State Senate gave its preliminary approval on Thursday to amend portions of the 1999 Livestock Pricing and Marketing Law.

In the House, legislators listened to testimony from livestock producers regarding possible repeal.

One farmer admits he's considering moving his farm to Iowa if the law is not amended. He says that his move will not benefit his community or the state and that the law should be amended.

Representative Wes Schumeyer says that while the law was passed with the intention of protecting small cattle farmers it is driving buyers away.

The Director of the Department of Agriculture says that amending this law is what's best for Missouri's livestock producers.

He says that while Missouri is the second largest producer of meat in the country, there are no slaughter houses within the state and farmers rely solely on out of state buyers.

Without these buyers, meat producers will suffer financially and will have less money to put back into the community.

If the law is amended, five of the six major meat buyers will reenter Missouri's cash market, including the company IBP, which purchases approximately seventy to eighty percent of Missouri's cattle.

Representative Haggeman argues that this issue goes beyond the state of Missouri.

An attorney from the Organization for Competitive Markets says that the law should be upheld.

OCM is a nonprofit advocacy organizations for farmers and ranchers.