I would appreciate the following statement be included in the hearing record, which hearing is to be held at 10 a.m. on March 17, 2000, at the Agricenter International on 777 Walnut Grove Rd., in Memphis. While animals lack the ability to think and make decisions, nor are they able to communicate with the beings who have control over them, facts which I sometimes attribute to those in politics, voters and a great number of people of the so-called human race,do have such capabilities. No one needs to convince you of the abuse, pain, and suffering, and the simple outright maliciousness which a great deal of these downed animals must endure prior to being killed. I myself am a retired attorney and would consider myself a mainstream American and do not take up pen and paper in hand every time an animal has a headache or a lousy day, but feel concerned enough to write to you with regard to this issue, and with the hope that the Downed Animal Protection Act is passed. Chief Clerk 33 Lay Load C/ House Committee on Agriculture 1301 Longworts Building Washington D. C. 20515 Dear Siri Ridgely, Tennessee 38080 We appreciate the farm policy field hearing. that was held in Memphis, Tenn. by the Honar. Committee on Agriculture. We would like to summit these Commente in the Official Record as the Agriculture Committee's beview of federal farm policy. The Comments are as follows; The present farm bill would work if the State Department would haise restrictions on exports. We need normal trade Agriculture relationship. With Cuba, Iran, China and many other Countries. The State Department uses Agriculture to try and discipline these Countries. Congress needs to put more effort in solving our.. problems in agriculture with the State Departmen Without better prices for our Commodities. farmers cannot stay in businew. We need Continual immediate help. Thank you. ་ STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD FOR MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, HEARING Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony to the House Agricultural Committee. I am writing on behalf of our small emu farm as well as thousands of other ratite growers across the country. I know from the field meeting in Memphis on March 17 that this committee really does care about the plight of the American farmer and there is legitimate concern regarding the loss of our American farm heritage. Many people, including us, went into the ratite industry as a way to enter into the world of agriculture. Limited land requirements and production of safe and economic meat that meets the demands of today's consumers were convincing reasons. What we did not anticipate and still do not understand is the lack of support from government. I listened attentively at the field meeting to farmers from many other agricultural industries and was able to identify with so many of their problems. The ratite industry is also affected by bad weather and low crop yields; it affects our cost for feed. We cannot profitably conduct global commerce because we cannot compete with other countries that do not share our same production costs. We are also losing our infrastructure because of high processing fees and the farmers' financial inability to support the associated USDA inspection costs. We can compete with other meat producing industries based on product acceptability because we appeal to a market that has very specific needs; however, we cannot compete with USDA. Our petition for inclusion under the mandatory USDA inspection program has received endorsement from the National Farm Bureau and the National Association of the State Departments of Agriculture. The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection has formally recommended mandatory inspection for ratites. USDA has stated that they are in agreement that additional species, including ratites, should be added to those currently under the mandatory inspection system. While USDA continues to explore the concept, ratite farmers continue to go out of business. Our greatest weakness is that we are a very small industry and do not command a great deal of attention. This is also our greatest strength in that it will take very little for government to support us. H.R. 765, a bill to amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act for the inclusion of ratites, is still pending. We currently have 70 cosponsors. Industry estimates the total cost to government will be less than $.2 million. We have received bipartisan support from legislators across the country because what we are asking for is reasonable, fair, and a food safety issue. In summary, our industry is requesting the House Agricultural Committee help us by supporting mandatory inspection for ratites. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Jeanne Summerour, Post Office Box 740814 Dallas, Texas 75374-0814⚫ Telephone 208/983-5600 Fax 520/962-9430 Alan H. Westfall April 3, 2000 Farm Policy Statement for the Record U.S. House Committee on Agriculture I apologize for the length of this statement, but there are many severe problems in contract agriculture and I must make an attempt to educate each member of the committee about these problems to the best of my ability. I believe that each person on this committee cares, and this is why I must tell you some of the most unfair practices being demonstrated in agriculture today. Each day, more farmers and producers are being forced into contract agriculture. There are tens of thousands of poultry producers in our country, but hardly anyone seems to be aware of the problems associated with contract agriculture. One problem associated with contract agriculture is that the companies have been allowed to deem us independent contractors. In contract poultry production, growers are treated as employees, but do not have any rights as employees. Integrators exercise complete control over growers. Although we been classified as independent contractors, we are anything but "independent". The Integrators use that same independent contractor status to keep growers from organizing for better contracts and to be excluded from the National Labor Relations Act. As independent contractors we are also excluded coverage in the Fair Labor Standards Act. The companies also use independent contractor status to escape all obligations of state and federal withholding taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, workers' compensation and OSHA regulation. Women are being discriminated against and can be sexually harassed and there is nothing growers can do legally because there are not any laws of protection. As independent contractors, there are not any laws of protection for race and/or national origin discrimination. I have particular concerns in this area because my wife and son are of Asian descent. If I die tomorrow who will protect them and their rights to continue our family farm? Do they even have this right? These issues and discriminatory practices must be addressed in the next farm bill. The environment has suffered as Integrators have total control and do not accept any corporate responsibility for their waste. Neither growers nor taxpayers should be forced to bear the disposal burden of mortality and excess litter for greedy corporations. In the poultry industry growers are totally dependent upon the birds the companies bring and must accept whatever flock is delivered, regardless of whether the birds are sick, stressed or even a partial flock. We have the investments of our farms plus more than $500,000 in chicken houses. These are single use facilities with huge mortgages and they are worthless without a contract and bird placement. The companies know this and regularly threaten and intimidate growers to make full use of the position growers are in. Constant housing and equipment modifications assure that growers will never be out of debt, thus being able to close down their operation. Integrators write their own contracts and growers are not allowed to negotiate or bargain and cannot even ask a question without being threatened with contract termination. Contracts are flock to flock and may be terminated at any time, with or without just cause. These terminations occur regardless of how many more years a grower might owe on his mortgage. Grower terminations make company managers feel powerful and serve as a very real notice to all growers that they may be next. We cannot even sell our farms without company permission. The companies can (and do) prevent growers from selling their farms by refusing to accept the new owners and by requiring tens of thousands of dollars in equipment changes and updates (not required unless you are selling). Poultry producers work 7 days a week, long hard days, with no benefits whatsoever. We must work if we are ill. There are no holidays off. We are on call 24 hours a day and we are dictated all aspects of time and how we are to do the job. We cannot even go to Church out of fear of reprisals if no one was found to be on the farm. Even with all this work and investment many poultry producers do not even make minimum wage. We feed the nation and the world, while hardly able to feed our own families. There have been instances of growers being so desperate and feeling so helpless and without hope that they committed suicide. The United States government can no longer turn its head away and not see these problems. Recently Integrators have been forcing growers to sign contracts with arbitration clauses in them taking away our access to the courts. Is this America? This is not what my family served in the military to preserve and to protect. Representative Marcy Kaptur and Representative Sanford Bishop have introduced H.R. 2830-The Family Farmer Cooperative Amendments Act of 1999. This bill would require good faith bargaining between growers' cooperatives and mediation by the Secretary of Agriculture to resolve impasses in bargaining. Another bill, H.R. 2829-The Poultry Farmers Protection Act of 1999 will give breeder hens and pullet growers the same protection as broiler producers under the Packers and Stockyards Act. These bills are not a cure-all, but certainly are important steps in the right direction. In recent years there were two reports that shed some light to the inequities contract growers face as integrators use their dominant positions to impose unfair and unjust and discriminatory terms and conditions on contract growers. One, Concentration in Agriculture: A Report of the USDA Advisory Committee on Agriculture Concentration and the other National Commission On Small Farms. Each of these reports has specific recommendations to address contract poultry growers. To date, Congress has not acted on the recommendations in these reports. It appears that contract agriculture may well be the future of farming. All crops, livestock and commodities are being forced or pressured this direction. We need |