Bill > HR1648

This bill, known as the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A-PLUS) Act, directs the Secretary of Agriculture to modify existing regulations to allow livestock auction owners (market agencies) to have a more flexible relationship with small meatpacking businesses. Specifically, the bill permits market agencies to own, finance, or manage packers (meatpackers) that have relatively small slaughter capacities - defined as less than 2,000 cattle or sheep per day (or 700,000 per year), and less than 10,000 hogs per day (or 3,000,000 per year). The bill also requires that if a market agency has an ownership, financial, or management interest in a packer, they must disclose this relationship to livestock sellers. Importantly, the bill includes a savings clause that preserves the Secretary of Agriculture's existing authority to enforce rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act, ensuring continued protections for producers, market competition, and preventing potential conflicts of interest. This legislation appears aimed at providing more economic opportunities for smaller livestock auction businesses and meatpackers while maintaining regulatory oversight.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1648/all-info