A Texas grassroots group is asking Congress to consider legislation drafted by cow-calf producers.
The Agriculture Meat Production Act was drafted by grassroots cow-calf producers who are known as TAPPPS Group, an acronym for Texas Animal Protein Producers Prosperity and Security Group as officials note that even with Lone Star tag it has been well-received by producers in many states. The legislation has contributions from industry experts including representatives from independent cattlemen’s associations, attorneys, legal scholars and law professors, according to a news release from the TAPPPS Group.
“New legislation is imperative because we live with the consequences of inaction and lack of enforcement of existing laws by Congress as well as the unfair trade practices by packers, corporate giants, cattle associations, and others in the agricultural industry,” TAPPPS officials said about the AMP Act.
The AMP Act addresses issues through legislation that will bring back a competitive market to the cow-calf producers by prohibiting anticompetitive cattle-buying practices, putting limits on further mergers, incentivizing expansion of local packer capacity, and strengthening and preserving the industry’s price discovery market. The legislation includes strengthening the American Beef Labeling Act.
Change through legislation will preserve the livelihoods of cattle raisers, reverse the decimation of rural America, and protect our customers, the beef consumers providing them the ability to choose American born, raised, and harvested beef, the best most regulated and inspected meat on earth. The AMP Act addresses the potential national security crisis of our protein supply chain and the foreign investments in the U.S. Agriculture Industry.
The following were contributors to the drafting and final review of the AMP Act: Bill Bullard, Peter Carstensen, David Crafton, Charles (Chuck) Gabbert, Lance Graham, Edwin Greiner, Joshua Knop, Judith McGeary, Vaughn Meyer, and Mike Schultz.
