WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) encouraged Mississippi livestock and poultry producers to take advantage of a 90-day public comment period extension on proposed regulatory changes affecting market fairness and competition for producers.

Cochran, a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, was among 17 Senators who last week called on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to

extend the public comment period regarding new rules proposed by the Grain

Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).  The USDA on Monday agreed to extend the comment period to November 22, three months beyond the original Aug. 23 deadline.

"The proposed marketing regulatory changes are considerable, and poultry, pork and beef producers should review them to assess how they might affect their operations,"

Cochran said.  "The rules developed by the Agriculture Department are intended to improve market fairness for producers.  Those who work day-to-day in these fields may be the best judge of whether the proposed changes achieve that goal."

The 2008 Farm Bill directed GIPSA to undertake a review of existing regulations under the Packers and Stockyard Act and to propose regulatory modifications to improve market fairness and competition, as well as to clarify conduct that violates federal law.

Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and ranking member Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) authored a letter to Vilsack last week that sought additional time to review the GIPSA plan, contending that more time was warranted because of the magnitude of the changes.

"GIPSA's proposed rules significantly change the way the Packers and Stockyards Act is interpreted. The impact of the rule on producers will vary according to the kind

of livestock or poultry they produce, the way producers market their product, and

the location of a producer's operation relative to slaughter and processing facilities. As you move forward, we urge USDA to carefully consider the proper role and scope of federal regulation in this area and to actively listen to the concerns of everyone who will be impacted by the proposal," said the Lincoln-Chambliss letter that was also signed by Cochran and Senators Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

The proposed GIPSA regulations, initially published June 22, can be found in the Federal Register at  www.archive.gipsa.usda.gov/rulemaking/fr10/06-22-10.pdf.

The public may submit comments regarding the new rules to GIPSA by November 22, 2010, via:  e-mail to

comments.gipsa@usda.gov<https://webmail.senate.ussenate.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=3a2c3911ad8245238ad7790449f9a243&URL=mailto%3acomments.gipsa%40usda.gov>; hard copy via mail, hand delivery, or courier to Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW, Room 1643-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604; fax to (202) 690-2173; or the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov<https://webmail.senate.ussenate.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=3a2c3911ad8245238ad7790449f9a243&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.regulations.gov%2f>.