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Farmer Fairness

You can file a complaint or tip if you suspect a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act or any other Federal law governing fair and competitive marketing and contract growing of livestock and poultry.

Seeds and Other Agricultural Inputs

We are in the process of updating the online form on this website to support the reporting of complaints regarding seeds and other agricultural inputs. In the interim, please do not submit a complaint through the online form unless your complaint concerns livestock or poultry. To report a complaint related to seed purity, quality, labeling, certification, or Plant Variety Protection, please contact the Seed Regulatory and Testing Division. To report an antitrust complaint related to other agriculture inputs, including seeds, please contact the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center. To learn more about USDA efforts to promote innovation and fair competition in seed markets, please contact the Farmer Seed Liaison.


Help Us Ensure Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets

Any information you provide is voluntary. Comments including vulgar language may not be processed; additionally, comments including implicit or explicit threats may be referred to the appropriate authorities. Other than contact information, please do not include any personally identifying information (PII), such as social security numbers or birth dates, in your comments. For any information provided, The Department of Agriculture (USDA) and The Department of Justice (DOJ) will follow their respective Privacy and Confidentiality Policies found at: USDA Privacy and DOJ Confidentiality. Packers and Stockyards regulations regarding confidentiality also apply: PSD Confidentiality.

Note that if you do not provide your contact information, USDA and/or DOJ will be unable to contact you regarding your complaint or tip.

To submit a Livestock & Poultry Competition complaint with the USDA and DOJ Agricultural Markets Enforcement Partnership, please click the below button:

Submit a complaint

 

 

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How do I file a complaint or tip?

Complete the form and click “submit.” You can also submit a complaint or tip using any of the following methods.

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Submit a complaintor

  1. Email: PSDComplaints@usda.gov and ATR-USDA-PSAComplaints@usdoj.gov
  2. Phone (toll free): 1-833-DIAL-PSD (1-833-342-5773)
  3. Mail: USDA, AMS, FTPP-PSD, Stop 3601, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-3601


 

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What information should I provide?

When you report an alleged violation, provide as much information as possible to help ensure a thorough review and potential investigation.

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You may use the following questions as a guideline to describe your complaint or tip:

  • What are the names of companies, individuals, or organizations that are involved?
  • How do you believe they have violated the Packers and Stockyards Act or federal antitrust laws? (For details on the Packers and Stockyards Act, see The Packers & Stockyards Act; for details on federal antitrust laws, see Antitrust Laws and You.)
  • Can you give examples of the conduct that you believe violates the antitrust laws? If so, please provide as much detail as possible.
  • What is your role in the situation in question?
  • Who is harmed by the alleged violations? How are they harmed?

If you are willing to discuss the issue further, also provide your name and contact information.


 

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Will my confidentiality be protected?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) will protect your confidentiality to the fullest extent possible under the law and also commit to supporting relevant whistleblower protections, including newly applicable protections for criminal antitrust complainants against unlawful retaliation.

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If you choose to provide us with any personal information via this website, USDA will follow its Privacy Policy found at: www.usda.gov/privacy-policy. To submit an anonymous complaint or tip, provide the complaint or tip details, but do not enter your contact information. If you do not provide your contact information, USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division and/or DOJ will be unable to contact you with future correspondence regarding your complaint or tip.


 

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What happens after I submit a complaint?

USDA and the DOJ will review your complaint or tip and determine how best to proceed. This may include opening an investigation under the relevant legal authorities or coordinating on investigation efforts.

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Complaints or tips will be handled in the following way:

  1. USDA and DOJ create a record of the information that you provide.
  2. USDA and DOJ conduct a preliminary review of your complaint or tip for possible violations.
  3. If your complaint or tip raises sufficient concern under the Packers and Stockyards Act and/or other federal antitrust laws, it will be referred to the appropriate USDA and DOJ staff where additional review may lead to a formal investigation into the reported conduct.
  4. If USDA and/or DOJ need more information, we will contact you as timely as possible. Due to the confidential nature of investigations, you will not be notified if an investigation by USDA and/or DOJ is opened.
  5. In some instances, the volume of mail, e-mail, and phone calls on a particular issue is so great that we cannot respond to each message individually. Your views are important, and all incoming correspondence is reviewed for possible violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act and/or antitrust laws.

 


Committed to Working Together

USDA and DOJ logos

The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Packers and Stockyards Division (PSD) works to promote and ensure fair and competitive livestock and poultry markets by, among other efforts, examining the financial integrity, and trade and competitive practices of regulated entities. PSD performs investigations of potential violations, monitors ongoing market conduct in the industry, and reviews the actions of market participants for compliance with the Packers and Stockyards Act.

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division promotes economic competition through enforcing and providing guidance on antitrust laws and principles. The goal of the antitrust laws is to protect economic freedom and opportunity by promoting free and fair competition in the marketplace.

Through our respective missions and legal authorities, USDA and DOJ are committed to working together to ensure fair and competitive livestock and poultry markets and reviewing and addressing concerns, complaints, and tips received through this website, as well as other established processes.

 

Privacy Act Statement

The authority by which information is collected on this website form is 5 U.S.C. 301 and 44 U.S.C. 3101. Your disclosure of information to USDA and DOJ on this form is voluntary. If you do not complete all or some information fields in this form, however, USDA and DOJ may not be able to effectively respond.

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The principal purpose for collecting this information on this website form is to manage complaints and tips regarding suspected violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act or any other Federal law governing fair and competitive marketing and contract growing of livestock and poultry. The routine uses which may be made of the information collected on this website form include, but are not limited to: responding to complaints and tips, initiating or furthering investigations, and referring complaints or tips to other federal or state and local agencies.

The full list of routine uses for this correspondence can be found in the System of Records Notice titled, JUSTICE/ATR-009, “Public Complaints and Inquiries File,” 45 Fed. Reg. 57898, 902 (11-17-1980); 66 Fed. Reg. 8425 (1-31-2001); 82 Fed. Reg. 24147 (5-25-2017); and the System of Records Notice titled, JUSTICE/ATR-006, “Antitrust Management Information System (AMIS) - Monthly Report,” 63 Fed. Reg. 8659 (2-20-1998), 66 Fed. Reg. 8425 (1-31-2001), 66 Fed. Reg. 17200 (3-29-2001), 82 FR 24147 (5-25-2017).

OMB 0581-0333

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.

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The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0581-0333. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1.5 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Form Number PSD-5001: Expires 05/31/2022