The U.S. Department of Agriculture entered into a stipulation agreement with Rantoul Foods LLC of Rantoul, Ill., on Feb.15, 2024, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation agreement, Rantoul waived his rights to a hearing and paid a civil penalty of $10,000.

An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service revealed that between July and September 2020, Rantoul Foods failed to provide adequate notification to livestock sellers that post-mortem condemns purchased on a live-weight basis were being deducted from the final settlement. Rantoul Foods applied deductions to 69 transactions without a seller notification on record.

The P&S Act authorizes the secretary of agriculture to assess civil penalties of not more than $33,896 for each violation of this type after notice and opportunity for a 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 resolve the alleged violations quickly.

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 Amy Blechinger, Packers and Stockyards Division, at 202-527-0424 or by email at Amy.R.Blechinger@usda.gov.

Source: USDA's AMS