Release No.: 018-19
WASHINGTON, Feb., 15, 2019 – On Jan. 31, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued an administrative complaint against R & W Farms LLC, Wanda Thompson and Rickey G. Thompson (R & W Farms), Pitkin, LA., for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
The alleged violations that led to the complaint against R & W Farms were revealed in an AMS investigation that found R & W Farms failed to pay $1,408,703 for 2,746 head of livestock purchased in 21 transactions from December 2015 to October 2017.
The investigation also found R & W Farms issued eight insufficient funds checks to livestock sellers totaling $544,533. Dealers must maintain sufficient funds on deposit and available in the account upon which checks are drawn to support payments when presented.
Failure to pay for livestock and any delay in the market’s normal period for collecting payment caused by a dealer is an unfair or deceptive practice and is a violation of the P&S Act.
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 Stuart Frank, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (515) 323-2586, or by email at stuart.frank@usda.gov.
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