Stand up for family farmers and ranchers, the environment, and access to healthy food for consumers by participating in a GIPSA national call-in day to President Obama on June 22, 2011!!!!!!
Major US meatpacking companies routinely underpay family farms for their animals to show favoritism to factory farms. GIPSA (the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration – part of USDA) is responsible for protecting small-scale farmers and ranchers from unfair treatment by the big meatpackers. Unfortunately, meatpackers have put pressure on the USDA to not finalize these protections. The result is your food and shopping choices suffer as more and more family farmers are pushed out of business. We need President Obama to take the lead and tell USDA to do the right thing.
Stand up for family farmers and ranchers, the environment, and access to healthy food for consumers by participating in a GIPSA national call-in day to President Obama on June 22, 2011.
Here’s how you make a call:
1) Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 between 6am- 2pm PST on Wed., June 22nd. If you are having trouble getting through you can call the National Headquarters of the Democratic Party at (202) 863-8000, let them know you couldn’t get through at the White House, and then follow the script.
2) Simply use the script below:
“Hi, My Name is ______ and I live in (City, State). As a constituent, I urge President Obama to finalize and implement the fair livestock marketing rules that USDA proposed from the last Farm Bill.”
3) After you’ve made your call, encourage friends and family to make calls too!
4) Let Food & Water Watch know you made your call, so they can keep track! Email [email protected]
And if you want to learn more, check out the articles below!
Ranchers and the Meatpacking Industry
Ranchers Struggle Against Giant Meatpackers and Economic Troubles (Stephanie Ogburn, Grist, April. 2011)
Big Beef with Some in Congress (Eleanor Starmer, SF Gate, May 23, 2011)
Push to Eat Local Food Is Hampered by Shortage (Katie Zezima, NY Times, March 27, 2010) Lack of slaughterhouse facilities hampers small farmers.
