Introduction
During the 2002 Farm Bill debate, several pieces of legislation aimed at restricting livestock purchasing practices of packers were introduced. The specific concern focused on marketing arrangements that gave packers control over livestock more than 14 days prior to slaughter, commonly known as “captive supply.” As a compromise, in 2003 Congress requested a study of alternative marketing arrangements (AMAs) that are used as alternatives to the cash market. The resulting GIPSA Livestock and Meat Marketing Study was completed in early 2007. This series of fact sheets provides the history of proposed legislation that would restrict marketing arrangements used for livestock; provides information on the extent of use and reasons for use of different types of marketing arrangements for beef, pork, and lamb; and describes the marketing methods used for meat products downstream from the packer.