The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association calls a bill introduced by Senator Cory Booker misguided. The Farm System Reform Act, reintroduced Wednesday by the New Jersey Democrat, would place a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs.
Specifically, the legislation would place an immediate moratorium on new and expanding large CAFOs, and phase out by 2040 the largest CAFOs as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill would also restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef and pork and expand to dairy products.
NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane states the legislation "is the kind of broad, jumbled mess you get when you're more focused on Twitter and talking points than the sound legislating rural Americans need." Specific to feeedyards, Lane adds, “As our food supply chain is taxed by a growing number of mouths to feed at home and abroad, this efficient production system will be more vital than ever.”