Beef packers are opposing a bid by farmers to update carcass
grading standards.
One of the chief aims is to establish a category for
grass-fed beef.
Three associations say there’s not enough
scientific evidence to warrant revisions to the U.S. Beef Grade Standards,.
The comments made jointly by the American Meat
Institute, North American Meat Association and U.S. Meat Export Federation were
in response to a proposal from the Agricultural Marketing Service, a division
of the United States Department of Agriculture, to consider revising beef
grading standards to adjust for recent improvements and trends in animal
raising and feeding.
Meat packers and retailers are advertising grass-fed beef, so it seems sensible to me that the government should establish a standard. History indicates that, left to their own devices, the packers and retailers will mislead the public to increase their revenues and profits.
