Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting Coming

March 15, 2000

USDA is proposing mandatory price reporting for major livestock packers, product processors and importers in an effort to make the livestock market more transparent. The program will give USDA information it never has been able to collect before under the voluntary market news reporting program.

Earlier this month, USDA proposed a rule for meat export reporting, also part of the mandatory price reporting legislation. That rule calls for meat exporters to report volume for all fresh and frozen meat.

The latest proposal spells out who is required to report prices, what information must be reported and specific reporting times. Those affected are livestock packers and product processors and importers who slaughter an average of 125,000 cattle, 100,000 swine or 75,000 lambs per year. Importers who annually import an average of 5,000 metric tons of lamb meat also are required to report.

At specific times during the day, packers, processors and importers would have to report to USDA the details of all transactions involving purchases of livestock, domestic and imported lamb carcasses and imported lamb cuts.

They also must report details of all transactions involving domestic and export sales of boxed beef cuts, including branded product; sales of domestic and imported boxed lamb cuts, including branded product, and purchases of imported boxed lamb cuts, including branded product.

The proposed rule will be published in the March 17 Federal Register and will be open to public comment for 30 days. For more information, click here.