New rules for how poultry companies pay farmers are on hold, and might disappear

A new rule about how poultry companies pay farmers will not take effect as planned. The US Agriculture Department delayed the rule by 18 months.

The US Agriculture Department had planned to change how large poultry companies pay the farmers who raise their chickens. This rule was meant to address concerns about fairness and transparency in contracts. Delaying the rule means the existing payment systems, which some growers say are unfair, will continue for another year and a half. It also signals that the rule might never be fully implemented.