"The U.S. cattle industry, literally, is the last frontier within the U.S. livestock and poultry industries, the letter explains. "It is the only remaining major livestock sector that is not already nearly completely vertically integrated by the mega-meatpackers and processors from birth-to-plate"but this distinction cannot last long under the ongoing and unbearable financial losses plaguing its independent participants.
"Our nation's meat safety and meat security are threatened by the continued lack of action on the part of the Administration and Congress, Bullard emphasized. "Our U.S. cattle markets are broken. Our cattle prices are persistently below the cost of production. Our industry is shrinking, and all the while U.S. consumers are still paying near-record prices for beef to the dominant meatpackers and retailers. There is no light shining at the end of this tunnel. Immediate, decisive action must now be taken to avoid further destruction to the integrity and structure of our independent producer-based U.S. cattle industry.
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R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALFUSA represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on trade and marketing issues. Members are located across 47 states and are primarily cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and/or feedlot owners. R-CALFUSA directors and committee chairs are extremely active unpaid volunteers. R-CALFUSA has dozens of affiliate organizations and various main-street businesses are associate members. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.
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