Biden seeks to lift limits on farmer deals with meat processors, tractor makers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden wants to give U.S. farmers more power in negotiating the sale of livestock to big processors and in deciding who repairs their tractors, the White House said on Tuesday.
The executive order, expected within days, will also address such competitive issues as delayed airline baggage, cellphone company practices and Pentagon contracts, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The order would encourage the Federal Trade Commission to limit the ability of farm equipment manufacturers to prevent tractor owners from using independent repair shops or repairing their own equipment.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday the effort would help farmers "fight back against abuses of power by giant agribusiness corporations and give farmers the right to repair their own equipment how they like."
The FTC wrote a report for Congress in May that discussed "Right to Repair," addressing the limits that manufacturers put on who can repair items ranging from mobile phones to home appliances to cars. Such limits may also raise the price of those repairs.
