A Dealer Statutory Trust would improve the recovery of livestock sellers in a dealer payment default while also allowing commerce to continue as usual, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Dec. 20.

In the 2018 farm bill, Congress instructed USDA to examine the feasibility of establishing a livestock Dealer Statutory Trust and provide a report within one year. Based on its analysis of industry data, public input and experience with the livestock industry, USDA found that it would be feasible to implement a livestock Dealer Statutory Trust.

Under current law, farmers, ranchers and livestock auctions have been devastated when livestock dealers default on payment. The sellers often do not have the ability to get the livestock back for which they were not paid and recover little from the dealer’s bond. The Eastern Livestock default, which cost livestock sellers tens of millions of dollars, is the best-known example of this, but the USDA report analyzed 82 additional dealer defaults occurring from Oct. 1, 2013, to June 30, 2019, the Livestock Marketing Assn. (LMA) said in a statement.

A Dealer Statutory Trust would give unpaid sellers of livestock the legal right to reclaim livestock or, if they have been resold, proceeds from livestock in the unfortunate event of a livestock dealer payment default. The USDA analysis found that existing statutory trusts in other segments of agriculture (sales of livestock to packers as well as poultry, fruit and vegetable sales) are effective in improving financial recoveries and that similar results could be expected under a livestock Dealer Statutory Trust.

Related:USDA wants to hear from livestock producers on dealer trust

“We appreciate the in-depth analysis of USDA on this important issue,” LMA president Tom Frey said. “These findings will be helpful as we work with Congress in 2020 to get livestock auctions and producers the increased certainty and predictability of payment they deserve.”

Additional key findings in the USDA report include:

Creation of a dealer trust is supported by the livestock industry, including LMA, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn., the U.S. Cattlemen’s Assn., the American Sheep Industry Assn. and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Prior to the 2018 farm bill calling for the USDA report, the bipartisan Securing All Livestock Equitably Act, which would have created a Dealer Statutory Trust, was introduced in the House and Senate.