"Farmers face the hard realities of economic concentration wherever theyturn- when they buy and when they sell," said Harkin. "Farmers in Iowa and across the country as well as rural communities and consumers have good reason to be concerned about the continued growth of the food and agricultural conglomerates. There is no better place than Iowa to hold this conference."
"As food companies grow and consolidate, they wrest control over thefarmer's raw commodity and take an increasingly bigger share of the consumer's food dollar," said Grassley. "If these trends continue, many farm families worry that the food system in the future will not give them a chance to make a decent living off the land. If the Goliaths in the food industry aren't playing fair, we must level the playing field so the family farmer can compete and enjoy prosperity on the farm in the next century."
The conference is set to discuss the quickening pace of economicconcentration and consolidation in agriculture; the impact on farmers, rural communities and consumers; and needed actions and responses to this trend. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 7, 1999 from noon- 3:00 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. More details on the location will be announced later. The meeting will be free and open to the public.
Grassley, as a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chairmanof its oversight subcommittee, has worked for aggressive enforcement of the anti-trust laws as they apply to the agricultural sector. On April 13, Grassley requested in a letter to Joel Klein that he to come to Iowa to meet with farmers regarding concentration in agriculture. In addition, Grassley has initiated a General Accounting Office investigation of USDA and Department of Justice enforcement of anti-trust measures in the livestock industry; participated in two Senate Agriculture Committee hearings on the issue; and, won a commitment from Justice Department officials that all mergers which are reviewed by the anti-trust department will be considered for their particular impacts on rural America.
Harkin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, also wroteJoel Klein and Mike Dunn calling on them to hold this conference. Harkin has been a leader in Congress pressing the Clinton Administration to take a more active stance regarding economic concentration and consolidation in the food and agriculture sector. Earlier this year, Harkin called for the creation of a senior, high-level, high-profile position within the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department to look out for the interests of farm families, rural communities, and consumers. At a recent Agriculture Committee hearing, Klein announced that he planned to create the position.