Executive Order a 'Monumental Step' Towards Fairer Economy, According to Farmers Union
Jul 9, 2021
With nearly every industry enduring crushing levels of corporate power, President Joe Biden today signed an executive order aimed at promoting competition and fairness throughout the economy.
The order includes 72 directives that will be carried out by 12 federal agencies, many of which target the agricultural sector. For instance, it advises the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to offer livestock farmers greater recourse against corporations when they are treated unfairly, restructure the inequitable system that determines poultry growers' wages, and prevent corporations from retaliating against farmers who speak out about discriminatory conduct. It would also give farmers the right to repair their equipment - which many companies currently restrict - limit "Product of USA" labels strictly to meat raised domestically, and support the development of local and regional food systems.
Farmers and rural residents would also benefit from several other provisions that would make rail shipping rates more competitive, stem consolidation among rural hospitals, and encourage more choices in banking and credit in rural communities.
Since it was founded in 1902, National Farmers Union (NFU) has been dedicated to protecting farmers from corporate abuse, an endeavor that has only intensified in recent decades in response to a wave of mergers and acquisitions. In a statement, Rob Larew, the organization's president, lauded the administration for taking this monumental step towards protecting farmers from anticompetitive practices.
"Over the last 50 years, we've seen dramatic consolidation in the agriculture industry, with just a handful of corporations seizing control over each link in the food supply chain. It's no coincidence that this has coincided with a slew of problems for farmers: low prices, little bargaining power, few choices, misleading labels, and the inability to repair their own equipment, among other headaches. If that weren't enough, extreme concentration has also made our food system extremely vulnerable to disruptions and bottlenecks, as has become abundantly clear recently in the wake of extreme weather events, the pandemic, and cyberattacks.
"After suffering corporate abuse for so many years, it is reassuring that farmers may finally get a level playing field. This executive order will offer them more autonomy in their relationships with corporations, protections from mistreatment, fairer and more accurate labeling, the right to repair their machinery, and more robust local markets - which, taken together, will go a long way towards building the resilient, equitable food system that farmers and consumers deserve. We urge the administration to swiftly implement these changes and follow up with strong antitrust enforcement."
Contact: Hannah Packman, 303.819.8737
[email protected]
About NFU
National Farmers Union advocates on behalf of nearly 200,000 American farm families and their communities. We envision a world in which farm families and their communities are respected, valued, and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice.
Stay Connected
Look for us online at NFU.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Press Release Service by Newswire.com
Original Source: Executive Order a 'Monumental Step' Towards Fairer Economy, According to Farmers Union
More News
52 Must-Haves For Anyone Who Basically Lives Out Of A Suitcase Because They Travel So Often
"Can you get brunch Saturday, or will you be out of the country?" —your friend texting you View Entire Post ›
38 Affordable But Useful Travel Products You’ll Be Oh So Smug You Bought In Advance
Travel just gets easier and breezier with this portable folding stool and Skims-like base layer you can get for under $10 each. View Entire Post ›
Explainer: How hard water affects your hair and skin – and what can help
Water is the one part of a shower nobody thought to question. You research the shampoo, read the ingredient list on the back of the shower gel, and then you rinse all of it off with whatever comes out of the tap. Except that the water is doing something too – even if just what hasn’t been given a name. There’s a good chance you experienced the effects of hard water before you ever heard the term. You know it as the chalky ring that reappears on your shower screen days after you scrubbed it off,...
48 Things People Romanticize That Are Actually Miserable As F*ck To Experience, And We Need To Talk About Them NOW
"'Growing old together.' It's hard to deteriorate physically while watching your best friend suffer the same fate." View Entire Post ›
What is frozen shoulder? Symptoms, treatment, risk factors and exercises
When her left shoulder began to ache shortly before she turned 50, my sister Carol Wilson ignored the pain and put it down to a poor-quality mattress. She hoped the situation would resolve when she moved house in the UK – and got a new bed. The pain continued. “I kept hoping it would get better,” she says. “But it didn’t.” Her doctor diagnosed a frozen shoulder and alluded to it being something that occurred in “women of a certain age”. He prescribed physiotherapy, which didn’t help her much,...
Who is Ahmed Nur Said Elmi? Meet Ilhan Omar’s ex-husband, alleged to be her brother
As the 2026 US midterm elections draw near, Minnesota Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar has found herself embroiled in renewed controversy over her immigration history and past marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Elmi has long been alleged to be her brother, although the Somali-born legislator has denied such claims, which remain unproven. However, in 2016, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security found some evidence suggesting the marriage may have been fraudulent, The New York Times...
How China’s ‘enchanting’ farms became a draw for foreign tourists
When the travel agency China Highlights organises bus trips for foreign tourists to iconic sights across China, the company says one last-minute request keeps cropping up again and again. “Can we visit a farm?” The question has become so common that guides now organise farm tours lasting a day or two for groups as they drive back from scenic spots such as Huangshan and Zhangjiajie, according to company CEO Steven Zhao. The tourists often wanted to meet the farmers, have lunch in their...
Why the Chinese immigrant story Thousand Pieces of Gold (1991) is a lost Old West classic
Sometimes, through no fault of their own, good films slip through the cracks. They fall out of fashion, are misunderstood by critics or are poorly distributed, and it can take the passage of time – or a miracle – to bring them back into the light. So it is with Nancy Kelly’s 1991 period piece Thousand Pieces of Gold, adapted from Ruthanne Lum McCunn’s 1981 novel and starring Rosalind Chao from The Joy Luck Club. The film is a sincere, authentic-feeling drama based on the incredible true story of...
Anguilla sets its sights on Latin America’s luxury travelers
The Anguilla Tourist Board sponsored the opening general session at Virtuoso On Tour Latin America for the first time, presenting the island’s luxury travel experiences to more than 300 travel professionals. The presentation, delivered during the Oct. 27-29 event, supported the tourist board’s push to diversify Anguilla’s source markets and elevate its visibility among luxury travel advisors in Latin America.
If Being Comfortable Is Your Main Priority, Don’t Travel Without These 35 Products
Because stiff necks, freezing airplane cabins, and sore feet have no business ruining your vacation. View Entire Post ›
The Festival of Connoisseurs, Debuts in November - Hong Kong
Informa Markets today announced that The Festival of Connoisseurs (TFOC) will make its debut in Hong Kong from 4 to 6 November 2026 at AsiaWorld-Expo, as the first international flagship exhibition supported by Government funding. As announced in this year’s Policy Address and the Budget, the Government has earmarked HK$100 million to attract large-scale international exhibitions with new elements to Hong Kong, with a view to developing Hong Kong into the first-choice platform for showcasing Mainland and international brands.
The 2027 Virtuoso Luxe Report United Kingdom & Ireland: Japan Claims the No. 1 Spot
Virtuoso, the leading global network renowned for luxury and experiential travel, is uniquely positioned to identify the trends influencing how, where and why people will venture in the year ahead. The Virtuoso Luxe Report: United Kingdom & Ireland once again taps the collective knowledge of the network’s esteemed travel agency members and their teams of professional travel advisors to reveal what’s next for the region’s savviest globetrotters. Japan unseats Greece as the most requested international destination, and Thailand makes its top five debut, giving Asia a stronger foothold among established European favourites.
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.