USDA Reaches Consent Decision and Civil Penalty with Green Bay Dressed Beef LLC, for Packers and Stockyards Act Violations

Date
Monday, September 30, 2019 - 2:00pm

Release No.: 121-19

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2019 – As part of its commitment to ensuring fair and competitive markets for the livestock, meat and poultry industries, on Sept. 4, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached a consent decision with Green Bay Dressed Beef LLC, (Green Bay) of Green Bay, Wis., for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.

An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service on March 5, 2019 resulted in the issuance of an administrative complaint and simultaneous consent decision on Sept. 4, 2019, against Green Bay for failure to maintain a uniform weight of the hooks used in the weighing of livestock carcasses and failure to include only the weight of such equipment as the tare.

Failure to make settlement and final payment for livestock purchased on a carcass weight or carcass grade and weight basis on actual hot weight and failure to establish a tare that includes only the weight of the hooks is a violation of the P&S Act.

Green Bay fully cooperated with the investigation and immediately took corrective action by adjusting the tare of the hooks used in its weighing system.  Under the consent decision, Green Bay was assessed a civil penalty of $50,000.

In addition, Green Bay must cease and desist from failing to maintain a uniform weight of the hooks used in the weighing of livestock carcasses and failing to include only the weight of such equipment as the tare. Also, under the provision of the consent decision, Green Bay will:

  • Audit its cattle procurement and payment records from March 5, 2018, to March 5, 2019, to determine which livestock sellers were affected by Green Bay's improper tare for non-uniform sized hooks;
  • Provide the results of its audit to the Packers and Stockyards Division;
  • And provide proof of payment to affected sellers, such payments shall total no less than $127,051, to the Packers and Stockyards Division by September 30, 2019.

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 P&S Act, contact Stuart Frank, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (515) 323-2586, or by email at stuart.frank@usda.gov.

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