Packers and Stockyards Enforcement

Types of Enforcement Actions

The Packers and Stockyards Division (PSD) enforces the Packers and Stockyards Act through different actions based on the nature of the violation: 

  • Notice of Violation - This is a formal letter that notifies a business of an alleged violation and seeks to resolve the issue informally. 
  • Stipulation Agreement - This is a legal agreement that resolves the alleged violation(s) without legal action. The settlement agreement cites the alleged violations and offers a civil penalty amount in lieu of formal action. By signing the settlement agreement, the business waives its right to a hearing.
  • Administrative Action - This is a legal action taken within USDA. AMS files a complaint, and the accused party has the right to a hearing before a USDA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Either party may appeal the ALJ decision to the USDA Judicial Officer (JO), and the JO decision may be appealed to a U.S. Appeals Court and further to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Court Action – USDA may take legal action through the Department of Justice in a U.S. District Court.

Types of Penalties

Penalties for violations can include:

  • Cease and desist orders;
  • Suspension of business operations subject to the P&S Act (only applicable to registered market agencies and dealers);
  • A fine for each violation of the poultry trust provisions, and a fine for each violation of the other provisions in the P&S Act and regulations; and/or
  • Permanent injunctions, fines, or jail sentences.

To read more about recent PSD actions taken against regulated entities click here.

Enforcement Cases

Suspension Listing: A list of suspended businesses and individuals is available at Suspended Entities (XLSX).

ALJ Decisions: 

Find the 2022 to current ALJ Decisions below.

The Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) publishes the official copy of decisions in USDA legal actions as far back as 2010 at the OALJ Decisions page. Earlier decisions dating back to 1996 can be found at the National Agricultural Law Center. Cases from 1942-1995 are hosted by the USDA Agriculture Decisions Archive. Decisions dating back to 1921 are available at the online digest of Decisions under the P&S Act (August 15, 1921-June 30, 1940).

  • JO Decisions:  JO decisions from are available at OJO Decisions. 
  • If you cannot find a specific document online, you can request a copy from the USDA Office of the Hearing Clerk at SM.OHA.HearingClerks@oha.usda.gov. Your email must include your name, contact information, documents requested, and preferred delivery method. These requests are handled under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and it can take up to 20 business days to get a response.   

Administrative Actions

The Office of the Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) publishes the official copy of decisions in legal actions taken with USDA.  For your convenience, we provide links below to the most recent decisions issued under the Packers and Stockyards Act, organized alphabetically by the name of the first respondent (accused party) within the fiscal year initiated the action for PSD:

The OALJ also publishes Agriculture Decisions as a record of decisions and orders issued for prior years.  You can find P&S Act Decisions in Part Two of each volume for 2013 - 2020 on the OALJ website

View the online digest of Decisions under the P&S Act (August 15, 1921-June 30, 1940)

Judicial Officer Decisions

Sometimes the parties appeal an Administrative Law Judge’s decision to the USDA Judicial Officer.  The OALJ publishes a link to Judicial Officer decisions for 2017 through the current fiscal year on the OALJ website. You can find Judicial Officer decisions prior to January 1, 2017, posted to the University of Arkansas' National Agricultural Law Center website. For legal citations, both websites, as well as the Agricultural Decisions volumes, are considered official sources.

News Releases or Notices to the Trade

You can find news releases or notices to trade related to PSD administrative actions on AMS News & Announcements.

Requesting Other Decisions or Filings Related to Administrative Actions

If you wish to see the full text of a decision, or any other filings related to administrative actions under the P&S Act, which are not provided through one of the links above, you can request a copy by emailing USDA’s Office of the Hearing Clerk (OHA) at SM.OHA.HearingClerks@oha.usda.gov.  Please include

  • Your name,
  • Your contact information,
  • A description of the information/documents you are requesting, and
  • The preferred method of delivery. 

Note: OHA will treat requests from parties not involved in a particular case as requests pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  Therefore, you should expect a response from that office within twenty (20) business days from the date that they receive the information request.  “Business days” do not include Saturdays, Sundays, or federal holidays.  See 7 CFR 1.7(a).