WASHINGTON, D.C., March 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) and Competitive Markets Action (CMA) have launched a $100,000 ad campaign to fight the imminent reintroduction of the Ending Agriculture Trade Suppression (EATS) Act. Previously led by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), this legislation threatens states’ rights and family farms by eliminating state agricultural laws. The campaign highlights the growing concerns about foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by Chinese interests.
“If EATS or anything like it is added to the Farm Bill or passed by Congress, it will be devastating for dairy producers across America,” said Deborah Mills, former Chair of the National Dairy Producers Organization and an OCM board member.
Enacting the Hinson/Marshall EATS Act via the Farm Bill would eliminate hundreds of state agricultural laws, paving the way for increased foreign control without necessary safeguards. Without these protections, Chinese-owned corporations like Smithfield Foods could expand nationwide, bypassing regulations that protect rural communities, family farms, and consumers. Members of Congress have indicated that this legislation will soon be reintroduced.
“We must prevent any version of the EATS Act from being included in the upcoming Farm Bill and exhaust every resource available to keep this poison pill from becoming law,” said Jonathan Buttram, president of the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association and OCM board treasurer. “U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders Glenn Thompson, John Boozman, Amy Klobuchar, and Angie Craig must reject this egregious attack on state agricultural laws.”
The ad campaign continued this week with OCM’s ad buy in Politico Morning and Weekly Ag each day last week, along with CMA’s ad takeover of The Daily Caller’s homepage on Monday and Tuesday. Additionally, a billboard truck will be stationed on Capitol Hill each day Congress is in session for the next three months. The ads urge Americans to call their elected officials and demand they vote against any Farm Bill that includes the dangerous EATS Act. OCM and CMA will sustain this campaign throughout 2025 until a new Farm Bill is finalized and enacted. EATS is opposed by more than 2,000 individual farms, advocacy groups, and trade associations across the U.S.
“OCM is ready, willing, and able to roll up our sleeves and dig in to help prevent the EATS Act from being enacted in the upcoming Farm Bill,” said Taylor Haynes, OCM President. “American family farmers will not stand for this attack on states’ rights that could put our farms under Chinese government control.”
In the 118th Congress, Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), David Valadao (R-CA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and former Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), now the National Security Advisor, led a Republican letter opposing EATS in 2023. In 2024, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) spearheaded a similar letter, joined by members of the House Freedom Caucus.
“The EATS Act is nothing but a Trojan Horse designed to put family farmers out of business and give multinational conglomerates like the Chinese-owned Smithfield an even greater advantage than they already have,” said Mike Schultz, Senior Vice President at OCM and founder of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association. “It’s a crying shame to see my Senator, Roger Marshall, leading this assault on producers and states’ rights.”
“If Congress advances the EATS provision or passes anything like it, the Chinese-controlled Smithfield, whose 2013 purchase was financed by the CCP, will own the livestock production in the United States,” said Marty Irby, CMA President and OCM board secretary. “We’d rather have no Farm Bill than a Farm Bill with any version of the EATS Act included.”
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About the Organizations:
Organization for Competitive Markets is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Lincoln, Nebraska, dedicated to fighting for competitive markets in agriculture. Our mission is to define and advocate for fair, honest, and accessible markets that benefit farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
Competitive Markets Action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit based in Washington, D.C., focused on advancing policy to promote sustainable agriculture and protect states’ rights from federal overreach. CMA works to raise awareness about harmful policies that threaten American farmers, consumers, and the broader U.S. economy.
CONTACT: Marty Irby Competitive Markets Action 202-821-5686 marty@competitivemarketsaction.org
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