Do you love your farmer? We do! And so do Food & Water Watch & the Rural Advancement Foundation International. That’s why they’ve renamed Valentine’s Day.
This year February 14th is no longer “Valentines’ Day,” but Love your Farmer Day, in support of the family farmers who raise our poultry. They need our help, so before we head out to buy teddy bears and chocolate hearts or make dinner for our loved ones, we’re calling the White House to demand that the USDA level the playing field for these farmers.
Won’t you join us?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking too long to implement rules that would level the playing field for small poultry farmers – it would protect them from big companies that force them to work harder for less and severely limits their options in raising and selling their livestock.
On Valentine’s Day, Monday February 14th, please take 2 minutes to call the White House and tell President Obama to level the playing field for poultry farmers.
Here’s how you do it:
- Call 202-456-1111 to reach the White House Comment Line
- Wait for an operator to take your message
- Tell the operator that you want President Obama to ensure that the USDA implements the livestock and poultry rule. Here’s a sample of what you can say:
HI! Happy Love Your Farmer Day! I’m ________ (name) from _________ (city and state or state) calling in support of the USDA’s livestock and poultry rule. Please tell President Obama to make sure that the USDA puts this rule into practice, so that our poultry farmers have a level playing field. Thanks!
Tell us how it went by leaving a comment below.
Want some more info about the rule, which you may have heard referred to as the GIPSA rule, and what it would do for poultry farmers? Read below:
1. Allows family farmers and ranchers to find out what prices and terms of sale are being offered for livestock.
2. Increases and ensures better market access for family farm livestock producers;
3. Identifies violations and leads to improved enforcement and curtailment of the most abusive and unfair procurement practices used by corporate meatpackers.
4. Stops a common practice that allows packers to avoid competitive bidding in the marketplace, keeping open market prices artificially low.
5. Prevents meat packers from paying large volume producers higher prices simply based on the number of animals they deliver without offering the same prices to groups of producers who could collectively deliver the same number of animals.
6. Prevents packers from offering favorable price premiums to a few preferred producers without offering them to other producers who could meet the same standards.
