S. 4168

119 S4168 IS: Livestock Consolidation Research Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-03-24
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 4168  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   March 24, 2026   Ms. Smith  (for herself,  Mr. Grassley , and  Ms. Slotkin ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry    A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Economic Research Service to conduct research on consolidation and concentration in the livestock industry, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Livestock Consolidation Research Act of 2026  .
2.
Livestock consolidation research
(a)
In general
Not later than 1 year after the date on which each latest Census of Agriculture is made publicly available, the Administrator of the Economic Research Service shall publish a report on consolidation and concentration in the livestock industry, including—
(1)
changes in the size and location of ranches, farms, processing facilities, and packers throughout the United States; and
(2)
the impact of the changes described in paragraph (1) on farmers, ranchers, and downstream consumers, including—
(A)
financial impacts;
(B)
market entry impacts;
(C)
access to resources and inputs, including processing facilities; and
(D)
dietary impacts.
(b)
Sources of information
In preparing a report under subsection (a), the Administrator of the Economic Research Service shall draw on data available to the Secretary of Agriculture, including the Census of Agriculture, inspection records of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the packing plant data of the Packers and Stockyards Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service.
(c)
Report organization
The report under subsection (a) shall separate information on beef cattle by cow-calf and fed cattle operations.
(d)
Confidentiality
A report published under subsection (a) shall not contain any confidential business information.
(e)
Definition of livestock
In this section, the term  livestock  includes beef, dairy, pork, and poultry production (including broilers, eggs, and turkeys).