MONTANA’S LEO MCDONNELL TO TESTIFY AT SENATE HEARING ON BRAZIL

(JUNE 20, 2023) – On Thursday, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) Director Emeritus Leo McDonell will testify on behalf of U.S. cattle producers at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cattle supply chains and deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

International trade is an outsized factor in the domestic cattle market. McDonnell, of Columbus, Montana, will urge legislators to investigate how production practices in the Brazilian beef industry harm the U.S. beef industry.

USCA looks forward to working with both Congress and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency to address illegal deforestation, along with the use of forced and child labor, in the Brazilian beef supply chain.

Other witnesses at the hearing will include Jason Weller, Chief Sustainability Officer, JBS; Rick Jacobsen, Manager of Commodities Policy at the Environmental Investigation Agency; and Dr. Ryan C. Berg, Center for Strategic and International Studies. The hearing will be held on Thursday, June 22 at 10:00am Eastern in 215 Dirksen.

It will also be livestreamed at https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/cattle-supply-chains-and-deforestation-of-the-amazon.