Changes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rules for weighing feed and poultry have taken effect as of September 20. Its impact will be felt strongly by the poultry and swine industries, which had little time to prepare for the changes, Clayton Bailey, partner in the Dallas law firm of Bailey Brauer PPLC, said.
Bailey, who spoke September 17 at the Poultry Production and Health Seminar about the topic, addresses some of his concerns in a video, featured on WattAgNet.com.
Beginning September 20, GIPSA rules require that poultry be transported promptly after loading and weighed within 30 minutes after arrival at the processing plant. The rule also prohibits splitting loads in the weighing process. Other weighing and scaling provisions taking effect include the requirement that feed picked up from farms must be weighed. Another change is that feed and poultry must be reweighed upon USDA request. Previously, only poultry reweighing was included in the rules. "It's going to require the poultry industry as well as the swine industry to modify the tickets they issue when weighing feed and/or poultry," said Bailey.
"I believe it's going to have a huge impact because the industry was only notified about 30 days before these rules go into effect. Basically the companies are going to have to run out and speak to the folks who put together the software packages for their scales, to modify the software so they can issue these tickets in compliance with these regulations."
