Excerpts from the Executive Summary: This report reflects the committee’s collective judgment concerning current agricultural issues that arise from increasing concentration among processing and marketing firms which buy farm products and issues associated with mergers and consolidations in the rail industry. The committee has reviewed existing scientific studies and reports from academic scholars and from government agencies. We have studied the reports of analyses commissioned by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) concerning concentration in the livestock and meat industries. We have encouraged and received input and advice from trade associations and other industry experts. We have heard the concerns and advice of farmers and others in a public hearing. We have considered the current interpretation and use of antitrust policy. Our findings and recommendations emphasize concentration and its effect on competitive conditions in livestock and poultry markets from producer to consumer, in railcar allocation, and in areas in which concentration introduces or aggravates other social concerns, such as the vitality of rural communities or their quality of life.
