Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a stipulation agreement with USA Beef Packing LLC (USA Beef) of Roswell, N.M., on April 29, 2021, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation agreement, USA Beef waived its rights to a hearing and was fined a civil penalty of $1,250.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revealed USA Beef failed to pay when due for seven transactions consisting of 150 head of cattle valued at $153,156, from May through June 2020. In addition, USA Beef failed to maintain a scale printer to print an actual weight record.
The P&S Act requires subject entities to maintain records and issue the full payment for livestock by the close of the first business day following purchase and transfer of possession. Failure to timely pay for livestock purchases is a violation of the P&S Act.
The P&S Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties up to $29,270 per violation against any person after the notice and opportunity for hearing on the record. USDA may offer alleged violators the option of waiving their right to a hearing and enter into a stipulation agreement to quickly resolve alleged violations.
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 Packers and Stockyards Act, contact Stuart Frank, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (202) 720-7051, or by email at Stuart.Frank@usda.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service
