Poultry Industry the Focus of Second in DOJ-USDA Antitrust Workshop Series

Lawyers from the Faegre & Benson antitrust and food, agriculture and biofuels practices will be in attendance at the second of the joint public workshops being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice that focus on agriculture and antitrust enforcement issues. The second workshop will be held on Friday, May 21, 2010 in Normal, Alabama and will focus on issues affecting the poultry industry.

As with the first workshop, held in Ankeny, Iowa this past March, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Eric Holder will open the program. Speakers throughout the day include state and federal government officials, producers, academics and industry representatives.

These workshops will address issues of high concern to many of Faegre & Benson's food, agriculture and biofuels clients. In addition to attending the workshops, lawyers from our firm will continue to follow public discussion of these issues and will provide updates as information on the future workshops is released, as well as summaries of the key developments from each workshop. Please contact Kim Walker or Rick Duncan if you would like more information, have questions, or have any particular areas of concern.

As listed below, the remaining workshops are scheduled throughout the year. Some dates have changed, and ongoing information can be found on the DOJ Antitrust Division Web site.

Remaining 2010 Workshop Schedule:

June 25
Madison, Wisconsin – Dairy Industry

Specific areas of focus may include concentration, marketplace transparency and vertical integration in the dairy industry.

University of Wisconsin
Great Hall, Memorial Union
800 Langdon St.

August 27
Fort Collins, Colorado – Livestock Industry

Specific areas of focus will address beef, hog and other animal sectors and may include enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act and concentration.

Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colo.

December 8
Washington, D.C. – Price Margins

This workshop will look at the discrepancies between the prices received by farmers and the prices paid by consumers. As a concluding event, discussions from previous workshops will be incorporated into the analysis of agriculture markets nationally.

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Jefferson Auditorium
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C.