Sec. 301. Review and report on fragility and national security in the food system
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Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall carry out, and submit to Congress a report containing, a review of the fragility of the food system in the United States with respect to meat and poultry. The report under subsection
(a)shall include information on, and an analysis of— the reach of corporate consolidation and corporate control of the meat and poultry supply chain, including animal feed, inputs for animal feed, processing, and distribution; the effects of corporate consolidation and corporate control of the meat and poultry supply chain on— consumers, farmers, rural communities, and meat and poultry processing workers; greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and costs borne by communities to adapt to climate change; water quality, soil quality, air quality, and biodiversity; and politics and political lobbying; the extent to which Department of Agriculture rules and regulations designed for large covered establishments are applied to small- and medium-sized covered establishments; and the need for the Secretary of Agriculture to adapt rules and regulations to benefit small- and medium-sized covered establishments; the effects of the COVID–19 pandemic on meat and poultry exports, meat and poultry cold storage inventories, processing rates of meat and poultry, and the net profits earned by owners of covered establishments; the effect of the COVID–19 pandemic on meat and poultry prices paid— to farmers; and by consumers; Federal support for the corporations that control the largest percentage of the meat and poultry industry through contracts, procurement, subsidies, and other mechanisms; the risk of disruption caused by corporate consolidation among covered establishments, including an analysis of food supply chain issues resulting from the COVID–19 pandemic; and the extent to which breaking up the meat packing oligopoly would increase food system resiliency for the next pandemic.