This action alert was cancelled on March 19, 2013.
Update: Thank you for taking the time to reach out to Senators regarding the GIPSA rider to the Continuing Resolution. Unfortunately, on March 19th, the Senate voted to move forward on the Continuing Resolution without allowing a vote on the two Tester amendments that would strike the GIPSA and biotech riders. This “cloture vote” means the Continuing Resolution will move forward for a vote WITHOUT the Tester amendments and WITH biotech riders and GIPSA riders included.
GIPSA Rider Action Alert – Contact your Senators ASAP and tell him/her to reject the GIPSA & biotech riders from the Senate Continuing Resolution Appropriations Bill by supporting Senator Jon Tester’s Amendments 74 & 75. Be sure to state your full name, city and state. Explain why you are calling. Be polite, but firm. You can use the following message:
Hello, my name is ________ and I am a (constituent or current/former contract poultry grower). Will the Senator stand up for family farmers by rejecting the GIPSA & biotech riders included in the Senate Substitute Continuing Resolution Appropriations bill? Please support Senator Jon Tester’s Amendments 74 & 75 to H.R. 933.”
Don’t know your US Senators? We’ve posted a list of Senators by state with contact info here.
Share Far and Wide – The more people who take action the better. Be sure to share this action alert with your friends, family and co-workers. Share far and wide! Facebook, Twitter and email are fast & effective ways to share this message.
Background: Why this is Important
Senators Mikulski and Shelby released the Senate Substitute Continuing Resolution Appropriations Bill (H.R. 933) for the FY 2013 budget early last week. The resolution contains a legislative rider that would eliminate the final GIPSA rule!
The GIPSA rule, which provides basic contract fairness protections to livestock growers, went into effect in 2012, after decades of work and effort by RAFI, the Campaign for Contract Agriculture Reform, farmers and numerous advocates. Unfortunately, corporate groups responded with well-funded congressional lobbying efforts to repeal the rule. We cannot let this happen!
The final rule represented a significant policy improvement for thousands of poultry farmers. If this rider is included in the proposed legislation, thousands of farmers will lose the basic contract fairness protections won after decades of hard work!
The proposed riders have no place in current discussions and would have an adverse impact on thousands of contract farmers across the country.
Links to More Information:
- Letter Opposing GIPSA Rider to Senate Appropriation Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski
- Sen. Tester: Who Put These Agribiz-Friendly Riders into This Unrelated Bill? (Mother Jones article, March 15, 2013)
- RAFI’s Corporate Concentration & Contract Agriculture Reform Program