Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached a consent decision against Jeffery L. Gorr, Sr. (Gorr) of Monroe, Mich., on June 21, 2021, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) reviewed purchases of livestock made by Gorr, and four other buyers at three auction markets in Ohio from December 2015 to May 2016. The investigation found that the buyers took turns bidding on livestock and failed to conduct their livestock buying operations in competition with each other. In the complaint, USDA alleged that the agreements to alternate budding and purchases resulted in statistically significant lower payments to livestock sellers than would otherwise have occurred.
Under the consent decision, Gorr, without admitting or denying the allegations, agreed to cease and desist from failing to conduct buying operations in competition with, and independent of, other packers and dealers that are similarly engaged in the buying of livestock as set forth in the regulations. He was further was assessed a civil penalty of $7,000. The full decision and order issued by the USDA Administrative Law Judge is available on the AMS Packers and Stockyards Enforcement page.
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 Kraig Roesch, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (303) 375-4291, or by email at kraig.roesch@usda.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service
