Farm Progress America, October 4, 2023
Mike Pearson takes a look a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Agri-Stats and accusing them of using data to raise the prices of turkey, chicken and pork.
October 4, 2023
Mike Pearson tells listeners about a lawsuit filed against Agri-Stats by the United States Department of Justice.
The lawsuit was filed last week.
Agri-Stats is a clearinghouse that collects data and in return provides data on livestock processing: Pork, chicken and turkey.
The data is then used to create a weekly report which is where the DOJ gets involved. The DOJ claims the report is being used to artificially inflate prices.
The DOJ claims Agri-Stat violated section one of the Sherman Antitrust Act, specifically a part about "the restraint of trade."
The reports sent out involve the monthly slaughter rates and price levels of turkeys, chickens and pork. However, to get the report, you have to provide the same information from your firm.
This involved 90 percent of the chicken, 80 percent of pork and 90 percent of turkey slaughter.
However, the pork and turkey reports were recently paused due to lawsuits, but the chicken report keeps going.
The Biden administrative will keep investigating Agri-Stats.
This is not the first company to be investigated by the Biden administration for being anti-competitive.
Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Mike Pearson, farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness.
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