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Packers and Stockyards

Overview

The Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 ("PSA" or "Act"), 7 U.S.C. §§ 181-229, is designed to assure effective competition and integrity in livestock, meat, and poultry markets. It was enacted in response to concerns that the "Big Five" large meat packers- Swift & Company, Armour & Company, Cudahy Packing Company, Wilson & Company, and Morris & Company- had engaged in anticompetitive practices that had a deleterious effect on producers and consumers. See 10 Neil E. Harl, Agricultural Law, § 71.02 (1993) (providing an extensive discussion of the historical development of the PSA). Read the full overview.

Note: Recently added resources are posted at the top of the applicable sections.

Major Statutes

Packers and Stockyards Act, 7 U.S.C. §§ 181-229

Regulations

Packers and Stockyards Act Regulations, 9 C.F.R. Parts 200-206

Rules of Practice Governing Formal Adjudicatory Proceedings,7 C.F.R. §§ 1.130-1.151

Federal Register Rules Open for Comment

Center published Federal Register Digest

Case Law

Note: Recently summarized cases are listed and linked in Recent Postings.

Case Law Index for Packers and Stockyards Act

Administrative Law Decisions

USDA Office of Administrative Law Judges

USDA National Appeals Division

Enforcement Actions (Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration)

Center published Judicial Officer's Decisions

Center Research Publications

Research Articles

The Farmer's Legal Guide to Producer Marketing Associations (O'Brien, Hamilton & Luedeman, 2006)

Market Concentration, Horizontal Consolidation, and Vertical Integration in the Hog and Cattle
Industries: Taking Stock of the Road Ahead (Pittman, 2005)

Developments in Horizontal Consolidation and Vertical Integration (O'Brien, 2005)

Concentration Concerns in the American Livestock Sector (Lauck, 2004)

An Overview of the Packers and Stockyards Act (Kelley, 2003)

Congressional Research Service Reports

CRS Subject(s):
Animal Agriculture
Trade Regulation and Antitrust

Reference Resources

USDA
GIPSA Website
GIPSA Annual Reports
Assessments of the Cattle, Hog, and Poultry Industries
Concentration in the Red Meat Packing Industry (1996)
Economic Research Service (ERS) Reports:
Economic and Structural Relationships in U.S. Hog Production (2003)
Structural Change in U.S. Chicken and Turkey Slaughter (2000)
Consolidation in U.S. Meatpacking (1999)

Other Congressional Resources
Government Accountability Office Reports:
Reports on Packers and Stockyards Act
Economic Models of Cattle Prices: How USDA Can Improve Models to Explain
Cattle Prices (2002)
Packers and Stockyards Programs: USDA’s Response to Studies on Concentration in the
Livestock Industry (1997)
Packer Marketing Concentration and Cattle Prices (1990)

Publications

The Need for Regulatory Implementation and Enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act
(FLAG, 2006)

Competition and Trade Practice in Agriculture: Litigation and Legislation (FLAG, 2006)

The Dilemma of Contracting: Risk Management or Risky Business? (FLAG CLE seminar, 2006)

Contract Poultry Growers Have Rights Under Federal Law (FLAG, 2005)

The Roles for Antitrust and Market Regulation Law in Markets for Agricultural Products
(Carstensen, U. WI Law School, 2003)

Market Structure Issues in the Livestock Industry (Taylor, Auburn U., 2002)

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