Tom Harkin: “Again, this conference report needs to be rejected and sent back for further work to restore farm income protection by…”

“Again, this conference report needs to be rejected and sent back for further work to restore farm income protection by removing the marketing loan rate caps. There are also two other areas in which the conference report is not acceptable. I would mention the labeling of beef and lamb for country of origin. The House Republicans rejected this idea. It is too bad, because under the WTO it is allowed, to have country of origin labeling. It is not just for our beef and lamb producers in this country. I believe our consumers have the right to know, when they buy a steak or chop or other cut of beef or lamb at the meat counter, what its country of origin is. Second, we had mandatory price reporting in the Senate bill so livestock producers will have information to help them evaluate packer bids for fairness. The conference report converted that bill language into weak report language. We have had study after study after study on pricing practices in the livestock and meat business and the need for more openness and transparency. It is time we have real action, not another study on that. For those reasons I believe the conference report ought to be rejected and sent back for further work.”