Washington - On Sept. 19, 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Ronald L. Lemons (Lemons), Lewisburg, West Virginia, settled a complaint filed against Lemons for suspected violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Terms of the settlement are set forth in a consent decision in which Lemons agreed to cease and desist from violating the P&S Act and pay a civil penalty of $15,000. The Consent Decision became final and effective on Sept. 27, 2018.
An Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) investigation found Lemons failed to pay when due for livestock purchases from April 2014 through August 2014 on 10 occasions. Payment for all livestock is due before the close of the business day following the purchase and transfer of possession of the livestock. Failure to pay when due is a violation of the P&S Act and its regulations.
The P&S Act is a fair trade practice and payment protection law that promotes fair and competitive marketing environments for the livestock, meat, and poultry industries.
For further information about the P&S Act, contact Stuart Frank, Director, Packers and Stockyards Division, Fair Trade Practices Program, at (515) 323-2586, or Stuart.Frank@usda.gov.
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Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service
