DOJ USDA Public Workshop: Competition in Livestock, Colorado

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WWW.JUSTICE.GOV AT: (202) 514-2007; TDD (202) 514-1888

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND USDA ANNOUNCE REGISTRATION FOR AUGUST 27 LIVESTOCK WORKSHOP IN COLORADO

Workshop to be Held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today additional details for the August 27, 2010, public workshop in Fort Collins, Colo., which will examine competition in the livestock industry. The workshop will be held at Colorado State University, the main ballroom of the Lory Student Center, 1101 Centre Avenue Mall, Fort Collins.. This is the fourth in a series of five workshops intended to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to competition and regulatory issues in agriculture. The first workshop was held in March in Ankeny, Iowa, with a focus on row crops and hogs. The second workshop focused on issues in the poultry industry and was held in Normal, Ala. The third workshop focused on issues in the dairy industry and was held in Madison, Wis. The workshops, which were first announced by Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Aug. 5, 2009, are the first joint Department of Justice/USDA workshops ever to be held to discuss competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. Attendance at the workshops is free and open to the public. The general public and media interested in attending the Colorado workshop should register at https://www.conferences.colostate.edu/LiveStockWorkshop.

Tweet

The workshop will begin with opening remarks from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. After opening remarks, Attorney General Holder and Secretary Vilsack will participate in a roundtable discussion with Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Christine Varney. Federal and state officials from Colorado have been invited to participate in the workshop. There will be public testimony from those attending the workshop and panels will feature ranchers, academics, processors and other industry representatives.

Additional details on the schedule and panelists will be provided at a later date. For further information, including submitted public comments and transcripts for past workshops, please visit the Antitrust Division’s agriculture workshop website at www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm or contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.

The Justice Department and USDA will hold the next public workshop on margins in agriculture in Washington in December.