Cattlemen Better Informed with Proposed Rule

March 9, 2000

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association says cattlemen will become better informed about beef demand in the export market with the first of several proposed rules that result from mandatory price reporting legislation that Congress approved last fall.

Meat exporters would have to report volume for all fresh and frozen meat under the proposed rule. Under the mandatory export reporting system, USDA would collect and publish information regarding all beef and pork exports. Making the information public is viewed widely by cattle and other meat industries as a way to ensure that individuals or companies don't have information that gives them a significant advantage over others in the industry, says NCBA.

USDA published the proposed rule in the March 3 Federal Register. NCBA supported mandatory price reporting legislation that included language calling for beef to be included on the list of commodities subject to export reporting.

"We want producers to have access to the same amount of information that sellers have," said Dana Hauck, Delphos, KS, cattle producer and chairman of the NCBA international markets committee. "At that point, it's every producer for himself. By arming producers with this information, you are giving them the tools they need to make wise business decisions."