DOJ, USDA Launch Antitrust Workshops for Agriculture
12/22/2009

Summary:

Stoel Rives attorneys Ron McFall and Joel Dahlgren discussed in Inside Counsel the significance of a series of upcoming Department of Justice (DOJ) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) workshops focusing on competition issues in agriculture. Set to begin in March 2010, the workshops will focus on the seed and dairy markets, as well as the price discrepancy between what farmers receive for their goods and what consumers pay at the grocery store.

McFall said he was cautiously optimistic about what the workshops will accomplish. "If you have a real discussion with substantive information being exchanged, it can help the administration decide where you really need to invest our enforcement resources." Dahlgren added that companies should start examining their transactions to avoid giving a false impression of antitrust behavior. "We don't want our clients to be drawn into something they shouldn't be drawn into."

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