[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 160 (Thursday, September 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H9101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       LARGE AGRIBUSINESS MERGERS

  (Mr. KHANNA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge support for the Food and 
Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2018. I am 
proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill introduced by 
Representative Pocan and an original founder of the Congressional 
Antitrust Caucus.
  This bill is good for our farmers. It would place a short-term 
moratorium on the large agribusiness mergers that we are seeing across 
our Nation. Fewer farmers mean fewer choices for consumers and higher 
prices.
  Agricultural consolidation is a huge problem. Today, the top four 
beef packers control 82 percent of the market. Missouri had 23,000 hog 
farms in 1985, but only 2,200 in 2012. Four companies control 85 
percent of soybean processing. I could go on and on.
  We need to temporarily stop these big mergers, and we need to start 
looking out for our farmers again. When the farm bill expires this 
week, small family farmers should be first.

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