USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is delaying the effective date of a rule

USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is delaying the effective date of a rule by 60 days, and extending the comment period by 30 days, for three recent regulations, the Farmer Fair Practices Rules, published in the Federal Register Dec. 20, 2016.These actions are being taken in accordance with guidance issued Jan. 20 to ensure the new policy team has an opportunity to review the rules. This is similar to procedures issued by previous administrations.The Scope of Sections 202(a) and (b) of the Packers and Stockyards Act, an interim final rule, will have its effective date delayed by 60 days, and the comment period extended by 30 days.The Unfair Practices and Undue Preferences in Violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the Poultry Grower Ranking Systems, both proposed rules, will have their comment periods extended by 30 days from the original Feb. 21 closing dates for comments.All three Farmer Fair Practices documents are scheduled for public display Feb. 6 and will be published on Feb. 7. The comment periods for all three are extended to March 24, and the effective date for the interim final rule is delayed to April 22.USDA announced The Farmer Fair Practices Rules on Dec. 14, 2016, the latest in several attempts over the past seven years to update GIPSA regulations that affect the practices of poultry and meat processors relative to the farmers that supply them with live animals.NCBA pleased"This is a positive sign and we are hopeful that this action indicates that President Trump and his staff are listening to their constituents and are keenly in tune with the needs of the U.S. cattle industry,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall, in a statement. “For years we have called on the administration to reconsider the proposed rules, which would have a devastating impact on the US livestock industry. By allowing additional time for substantive comments, we believe the agency intends to give this proposal the necessary analysis and consideration that was so lacking in the previous administration."