$$ at the Supermarket...Meat prices will go up without changes

Food for thought...and $ from your pocket.


From IL Soybean Association:
Food Costs Could Rise With Greater U.S. Livestock Regulations 
Paying more for food may not be out of the question for consumers if regulations on the U.S. poultry and livestock sectors increase.  In fact, consumers could pay up to $16.8 billion more annually for meat, milk and eggs if such regulations raise input costs by 25 percent.  Consumer and Food Safety Costs of Offshoring Animal Agriculture, a recent soybean checkoff-funded study, evaluated current U.S. supply and demand for poultry and livestock products and the impact of regulations on retail prices.  For example, requiring cage-free housing for laying hens would increase the cost of eggs from $1.68 to $2.10 per dozen, a total cost of $2.66 billion per year to U.S. consumers.  The report cites other potential increased regulations that could drive up production costs by anywhere from 10 to 25 percent.  A 25 percent increase in costs to animal agriculture would reduce U.S. exports by $1.1 billion, and cause nearly 9,000 Americans to lose their jobs.  Statistics compiled with checkoff funding show the poultry and livestock sectors support 1.8 million jobs and generate more than $283 billion for the U.S. economy.