The National Agricultural Law Center
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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

Case Law Index for Packers and Stockyards Act.
(Cases for the Supreme Court and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal begin at September 1921 and lower court decisions at January 1985.)

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
Outline of GIPSA's Proposed Rule Changes - Workshop Handout (Center Staff)
GIPSA's Proposed Rule Changes: What Are They? How Might They Affect You? How Can You Affect Them - PowerPoint Presentation (Center Staff)
GIPSA's Proposed Rule Changes: A Presentation for Livestock and Poultry Producers - Webinar Recording (Center Staff)
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

Agricultural Law Bibliography

Introduction   |   Keyword Search   |   Browse Categories

Legal publications on Packers and Stockyards :
Agribusiness Corporations
Animals - Animal Rights
Bankruptcy
Corporate Farming (Restrictions on Corporate Farming/Family Farm Preservation)
Farmer-Processor Bargaining - Production Contract
Livestock & Packers & Stockyards
Trade Regulation and Antitrust
Veterinary Law

Reference Resources

Economic Research Service (ERS)
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)


Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)
GIPSA Annual Reports
Assessments of the Cattle, Hog, and Poultry Industries
Concentration in the Red Meat Packing Industry (1996)


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)


Additional Resources
Packers and Stockyards Posts (United States Agricultural & Food Law and Policy Blog)



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