Pork price-fixing lawsuits consolidated

 

A Minnesota judge has put all of the pork price-fixing lawsuits together.

The defendants include Agri Stats Inc., Clemens Food Group, Hormel Foods, JBS USA, Seaboard Foods, Smithfield Foods, Triumph Foods and Tyson Foods. 

The plaintiffs comprise three certified classes—direct purchasers, consumer indirect purchasers, and commercial indirect purchasers—as well as dozens of direct-action plaintiffs. They argued that the defendants coordinated supply reductions to manipulate pork prices between 2009 and 2018.

Some of the pork packers have settled with plaintiffs by offering compensation, but not admitting any guilt.

In the 232-page ruling, the judge dismissed Hormel from the case, while the others’ motions to be dismissed were denied. The lawsuit centres on claims that the defendants used Agri Stats' industry reports to share sensitive pricing and production information, allegedly facilitating anti-competitive practices.

In addition to federal Sherman Act violations, the plaintiffs cite breaches of various state antitrust, consumer protection and unjust enrichment laws. 

The case also includes claims under the Packers and Stockyards Act.

CNH stops shipping from its plants

The parent company of Case IH, New Holland, Steyr and other machinery brands is suspending shipments from its factories in the United States and Europe until it can assess the impact of tariffs.

At the time of its sudden announcement, United States President had not yet revealed his detailed tariff measures and impacted countries had not revealed their tariff responses.

Sugar beet growing declining

Fewer sugar beets will be grown this year in Ontario as the American buyer finds farmers closer to home willing to grow them.

Matthew Noorloos, chairman of the Ontario Sugar Beet Growers Association, said 3,582 Canadian shares (acres) were sold back to the Michigan Sugar Co. voluntarily in December.

"The main reason is the company pays for 50 per cent of the freight . . . we are the farthest" from the processing plant, he said.

Since local farmers started growing sugar beets in the early 2000s, Noorloos said yields in some fields have doubled to as high as 50 tons an acre.

"The [Michigan] plant has a fixed processing capacity, so they're always trying to optimize the acreage to process the right amount of tons, so you don't have spoilage from carrying over too many tons," he said.

Researchers identify disease from tongue tip samples

 

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have determined that they can detect PRRS and Influenza A from samples gathered from the tip of pigs’ tongues.

The results were almost as accurate as traditional tests.

They said their test “reduces the need for more invasive and expensive sampling procedures, offering a budget-friendly option for producers.​”

Jack Chaffe wins medal

Jack Chaffe, left, and Matthew Rae

 

Jack Chaffe has been awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medallion for his work as a pioneer in the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance Program and Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef pilot. 

He' has also served as board director, committee chairman, and president of the Beef Farmers of Ontario, as well as a director at the Canadian Cattle Association.

Chaffe was committee co-chairman of foreign trade, co-chairman of domestic agriculture policy and regulations, was Ontario’s representative for the National Beef Check-off Agency, and representative to the Canada Beef Marketing Committee and the Canada Beef Grading Agency.

The award was presented by Matthew Rae, his Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington during the annual meeting of the Ontario Cattle Feeders Association.

Farmers get the jitters

 

Farmers seem to have caught a case of the jitters, judging by a 12-point decline in their opinion about their economic future as judged by a survey conducted by Purdue University and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

The survey of about 400 farmers conducted in mid-March registered a decline to 140 points on the Ag Economy Barometer.

The measure for future expectations declined by 15 points to 144 and for current conditions by five points to 132.

“The drop in sentiment was influenced by falling crop prices since mid-February, along with increasing uncertainty surrounding agricultural trade and farm policy,” the research team said.

Zorra quarantine lifted

 

An avian flu quarantine in Zorra Township in Oxford County has been lifted.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency imposed the quarantine zone on Dec. 22.