FORT COLLINS — Ranchers from across the country are expected to gather in northern Colorado next week to talk about competition in the cattle industry.
Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are scheduled to attend the Aug. 27 meeting at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
It’s the fourth in a series of meetings the Obama administration has been holding across the country to discuss antitrust issues in agriculture. The meatpacking industry has long been dominated by a handful of corporate giants, and some producers accuse them of demanding unfairly low prices. Proposed antitrust rules from the administration would make it easier for ranchers to sue them.
A Montana-based ranchers’ group, R-Calf USA, is trying to get 25,000 supporters to attend. The American Meat Institute, the trade group for meatpacking companies, will also participate. By The Associated Press
