USDA

U.S. agriculture officials are seeking information from farmers about fertilizer pricing and market practices as federal scrutiny of competition in the industry intensifies, according to Agrolatam. The outreach comes amid...

A group of House Democrats known as the Monopoly Busters Caucus is criticizing the Trump administration for ending a federal-state partnership they say was designed to curb consolidation and rising...

Livestock farmers in the United States are poised to gain a clearer path to filing antitrust complaints against meatpacking companies accused of unfair business practices, thanks to a new rule...

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller applauds the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement making $15 million available to state attorneys general to increase collaboration with USDA on antitrust enforcement. State attorneys general will be able to submit requests for funding and partner with USDA to secure America’s food systems through more rigorous enforcement of competition laws. […]

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated it will begin work on three proposals to strengthen its enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act. USDA said it would bolster Meatpacker Antitrust Enforcement in 2021. The 100-year-old law was designed to protect poultry, hog, and cattle producers from unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive practices in meat markets, […]

Newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack turned to a leading liberal think tank for his senior adviser on fair and competitive markets, signaling high-level commitment to antitrust issues after consolidation in agribusiness emerged as a key theme in Democratic presidential nominating contests, reported Bloomberg. Vilsack appointed Andy Green, previously a fellow at the Center for […]

On Thursday, November 29, US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) was officially eliminated. Its functions will now be nested under the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Among other things, GIPSA was responsible for enforcing antitrust law in the meatpacking business. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue published in the Federal Register a […]

This article is part of a Chronicle. See more from this Chronicle Logan Breed, Wesley Carson, Jun 30, 2014 During the Obama Administration, the U.S. competition authorities have made food and agriculture a priority for antitrust enforcement. These efforts, undertaken by both the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Competition […]

Geoffrey Manne, Joshua Wright, Apr 29, 2010 In March 2010, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the United States Department of Agriculture began a series of workshops aimed at addressing competition policy issues facing the agricultural sector in the 21st century. While antitrust enforcement has a long history in the agricultural sector, the current workshops, […]

Michael Sykuta, Apr 29, 2010 The past two decades have witnessed significant changes in the structure and organization of the agriculture sector. Virtually every stage of the agrifood value chain in the United States, from farm inputs to farming to processing to retail, has experienced increased consolidation. These changes have been accompanied by an unprecedented […]