Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 12/2/09

USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration has published a final rule intended to "increase fairness and equity in the poultry industry by amending regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 to provide poultry growers with new information and improve transparency in poultry growing arrangements," the agency said in a news release.

The new final rule requires that a poultry grower be provided a true written copy of a poultry growing arrangement in a timely manner. The poultry growing arrangement must include information about any Performance Improvement Plans and provisions for written termination notices of the arrangement. The rule also allows growers to discuss the terms of poultry growing arrangements with designated individuals. The proposed version of this rule first was published in 2007.

Failure to disclose certain terms in a poultry growing arrangement constitutes an unfair, discriminatory or deceptive practice in violation of section 202 (7 U.S.C. 192) of the Packers and Stockyards Act.

The final rule becomes effective on Jan. 4, 2010. A copy of the rule can be found here. 

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