Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R., Mo.) introduced the Cattle Market Transparency Act of 2020. The bill, serving as the companion bill to S.4647 introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), enables mechanisms for greater price discovery and transparency within the cattle market, while equipping producers with more tools and useful information to succeed.

“Congresswoman Hartzler’s legislation, which is the House companion to Senator Deb Fischer’s bill, gets us closer to where we need to be to achieve robust price discovery and to ensure market transparency,” Missouri Cattlemen’s Association President Marvin Dieckman said. “This legislation does so in a methodical way without a one-size fits all, heavy handed approach.

“The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association has been laser focused on ensuring the markets work in such a way that all segments in the industry have the opportunity to be profitable. We truly appreciate Congresswoman Hartzler for her hard work and for standing firm on behalf of Missouri's cattle producers.”

This legislation directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create and maintain a library of marketing contracts between packers and producers, mandates that a packer report the number of cattle scheduled to be delivered for slaughter each day for the next 14 days, which is already required for the swine industry, bolsters the public availability of data collected through the Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act while reassuring confidentiality of individuals and propriety business information, and requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish regionally sufficient levels of negotiated cash trade and to consider stakeholder input through a public comment period.

Related:Cattle Market Transparency Act introduced in Senate