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Competition and Concentration in Agriculture
Late last fall, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the dates and locations of a series of joint workshops in 2010 exploring competition, concentration and regulatory issues in agriculture industry. (See DOJ News release linked below) The first meeting is scheduled for Friday March 12, 2010, at the Des Moines Area Community College’s FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa. The meeting, which is open to the public, begins at 9 a.m. and concludes with time for public testimony from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. This first workshop will be the introduction to the series and will focus on seed technology and agricultural trends. Of special interest is the afternoon panel on competition in the seed industry which will include a representative from the Monsanto Company, which is rapidly buying up much of the world’s seed resources, and a representative from the American Antitrust Institute, which recently released a detailed report on Monsanto’s dominance. Another afternoon panel on agricultural trends includes Professor Mary Hendrickson from the University of Missouri, who has conducted long-term research on consolidation of firms in livestock and poultry sectors and in the retail food sector. The meeting is free to the public but those interested in attending should register online at https://go.dmacc.edu/ffa/agworkshop These are the first joint USDA and U.S. Department of Justice workshops to ever be held to discuss competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The goals of the workshops are to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to the appropriate legal and economic analyses of these issues, as well as to listen to and learn from parties with experience in the agriculture sector. The Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Division Christine Varney and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will participate in the workshop and will be joined by Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. They will participate in a round table discussion with presentations on current issues affecting farmers. Two panels focusing on the competitive dynamics in the seed industry and trends in contracting, transparency, and buyer power will follow. The first day of the series of workshops will end with an enforcer roundtable and opportunity for public testimony. Other workshops are also scheduled for:
For the detailed schedule of
workshops go to : The Iowa workshop schedule is:
Additional updates and
information will be posted on the Antitrust While no streaming web cast will be available, transcripts will be available for review at a later date on the Antitrust Division's Web site. Individuals seeking more information on the workshops should contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov
Press Contacts: ************************* Pre and Post Workshop Events Planned; Written Comments Welcome too! According to many farmers and ranchers, the DOJ and USDA workshops are long overdue as an essential step to address concentration of ownership within agriculture. To help make the most of the workshops, a group of organizations are hosting “Unleash Food Democracy: An Evening Public Event” in Ankeney, Iowa on Thursday March 11, 2010, prior to the next day’s workshop. The March 11 event will begin after 6:30 p.m. (time and details to be announced later) at the Best Western Metro North at 1333 SE Delaware Avenue, Ankeney, Iowa. Sponsors include National Family Farm Coalition, RAFI USA, Food First, WhyHunger, Food and Water Watch and others. On Friday March 12, immediately following the DOJ and USDA workshop, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) will host a debriefing evening reception with food, beverages, networking, and visiting. This reception will also be at the Best Western Metro North. Contact OCM Executive Director Fred Stokes at tfstokes@hughes.net with the number of people from your group planning to attend the reception.
Location and contact info: How to Submit Written Comments USDA and the DOJ need to hear from everyone affected by corporate dominance of the food system - farmers, ranchers, small processors, retailers, and consumers who are concerned about how market concentration constrains food democracy. Each of the five workshops being held around the country in 2010 will focus on a handful of concerns. The first workshop in Iowa on March 12 launches the entire series with discussions of seed technology, vertical integration, market transparency, and buyer power. If you cannot make the Ankeney workshop or any of the others, written comments should be submitted in both paper and electronic form no later than December 31, 2010.
Hardcopy submissions: Use the
following caption on each submission:
Mail or deliver two (2) copies of
each submission to: The Antitrust Division requests that, where possible, the paper copies of each comment be sent by courier or overnight service.
Electronic submissions: An
electronic version of each comment should be submitted to
agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov Electronic submissions must include the original source file (Word, WordPerfect, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). Submissions in PDF only format will not be accepted. Updates and additional information about the workshops will be posted on the Antitrust Division’s website at www.usdoj.gov/atr/events.htm
Resource Links:
Department of Justice News
Release
Organization for Competitive
Markets
OCM’s Comments on the DOJ/USDA
Workshops January 13, 2010
RAFI USA (Rural Advancement
Foundation International)
National Family Farm Coalition
Farmer to Farmer Campaign (on
seed concentration and seed technology)
National Sustainable Agriculture
Coalition’ For more information on the Kansas Rural Center and farm and
food policy, Who We Are Projects Calendar & News Policy & Advocacy Publications Wind Projects Heartland Network Kansas Food Policy Council Clean Water Farms Project Links Home Page © Copyright
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