Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a complaint against Beltex Corporation, doing business as Frontier Meats, also known as Frontier Packing Company (Frontier Meats), Arlington, Texas, and Eric Nauwelaers (Nauwelaers), Director and President of Frontier Meats, on June 9, 2023, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revealed that between Sep. 3, 2019, and Oct. 2, 2019, Frontier Meats and Nauwelaers failed to pay $163,753 for livestock purchased from ten (10) livestock sellers. In addition, Frontier Meats and Nauwelaers issued two checks for eight (8) livestock purchases that were returned unpaid because of insufficient funds in the bank account.
The P&S Act requires subject entities to issue 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 and failure to issue the full payment for purchases is an unfair trade practice and 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 notice and opportunity for a hearing on the record. If the allegations are admitted or proven in an oral hearing, Frontier Meats and Nauwelaers may be ordered to cease and desist from continuing violations of the P&S Act and assessed a civil penalty.
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 Dora Malykin, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (202) 720-7051 or by email at dora.malykin@usda.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service