The Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses sent letters to the USDA asking for a 180-day extension to the implementation period for the new Packers and Stockyards Act rule. The rule, titled “Transparency in Poultry Contracting and Tournaments,” included a 75-day compliance period when it was published in the Federal Register on November 28. That put the compliance date for broiler and processing companies on February 12, 2024.
“The rule establishes numerous additional disclosure requirements, what provisions must be in contracts, introduces open-ended and novel definitions and terms, requires completely new oversight systems, and injects significant ambiguity regarding compliance,” the House letter says. The lawmakers requested USDA extend the implementation date by no less than 180 days to allow stakeholders and constituents time to thoroughly understand and comply with the rule’s many requirements. They say by providing only 75 days to implement the rule, USDA significantly underestimated the time required for implementation.
