The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a stipulation agreement with Derek W. Crites (Crites), doing business as DC Farms, Moorefield, W. Va., on April 16, 2023, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation agreement, Crites waived his rights to a hearing and paid a civil penalty of $2,220.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revealed that between November 2021 through December 2022, in 20 transactions, Crites failed to pay timely for 386 head of livestock totaling $158,914. Payments ranged from one to 20 days late.
The P&S Act requires subject entities to issue the full payment for livestock by the close of the first business day following purchase and transfer of possession. Failure to timely pay for livestock purchases is a violation of the P&S Act.
The P&S Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties up to $33,896 per violation against any person after the notice and opportunity for hearing on the record. USDA may offer alleged violators the option of waiving their right to a hearing and enter into a stipulation agreement to quickly resolve alleged violations.
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 Packers and Stockyards Act, contact Kraig Roesch, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (303) 375-4291 or by email at kraig.roesch@usda.gov.
Original source can be found here.