WASHINGTON — On behalf of the US Chamber of Commerce, Senior Vice President Sean Heather responded in opposition to proposed beef market legislation in a blog published July 12. The US Chamber of Commerce believes the federal government would micromanage beef markets through the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act and the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act.

“In a rush to address soaring meat prices and ensure that all parts of the supply chain benefit from those prices, several pending bills would dramatically expand the federal government’s role in meat markets,” Heather said. “In particular, the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act would create a new office within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to police competition. And the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, would give the USDA significant new authority to manage cattle sales around the country. Unfortunately, both bills would harm consumers and reduce competition.”

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) also recently announced its disfavor of the pending bills.

Both groups agreed that the Special Investigator Act would create a redundant new office, duplicative of an existing USDA office.

The bills have passed through the Senate Agriculture Committee and are awaiting further approval from the Senate.