Farm Action Applauds FTC and DOJ for New Merger Guidelines, Urges Agencies to Enforce Vigorously
Today Farm Action submitted a public comment to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in strong support of the agencies’ updated merger guidelines, proposed in July of 2023.
Providing a comprehensive overview of the organization of farms, structure of industry, and prevailing anticompetitive trends across the agricultural economy, Farm Action’s comment lays out the legal justification for these updated guidelines and demonstrates their urgency for farmers, ranchers, and consumers.
Farm Action’s comment then urges the DOJ and FTC “to stand firmly as a bulwark against the further concentration of power and the deterioration of competition in our food system.”
For years, Farm Action has worked to advance competition reform in agriculture markets at the federal level. Recent actions by Farm Action include:
Following the release of Farm Action’s transition plan for the Biden-Harris administration, administration officials thanked Farm Action leadership for “writing the playbook” to improve competition in agriculture. Key components of this plan were incorporated into the Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.
In January 2022, the FTC and DOJ issued the first request for information on merger enforcement. Farm Action’s comment sets out the legal and factual case for ending a 40-year failed experiment in antitrust law enforcement.
On July 17 of this year, Farm Action and Open Markets Institute released their second annual report card grading the progress made by the USDA, FTC, and DOJ toward goals set forth in the executive order on competition.
The MAHA Commission’s May report exposed corporate capture in ag policy—but the leaked strategy draft dodges solutions. One big reason: government checkoffs.
This second blog post in our series, The Food Monopoly Files, draws from our landmark report to explain how the meatpacking industry fell into the control of just four corporations.
This strategy report demonstrates how corporate interests, including checkoff groups, hinder genuine reform—ignoring the root causes of America’s health crisis.
Farm Action Applauds FTC and DOJ for New Merger Guidelines, Urges Agencies to Enforce Vigorously
Today Farm Action submitted a public comment to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in strong support of the agencies’ updated merger guidelines, proposed in July of 2023.
Providing a comprehensive overview of the organization of farms, structure of industry, and prevailing anticompetitive trends across the agricultural economy, Farm Action’s comment lays out the legal justification for these updated guidelines and demonstrates their urgency for farmers, ranchers, and consumers.
Farm Action’s comment then urges the DOJ and FTC “to stand firmly as a bulwark against the further concentration of power and the deterioration of competition in our food system.”
For years, Farm Action has worked to advance competition reform in agriculture markets at the federal level. Recent actions by Farm Action include:
Media Contact: Dee Laninga, [email protected], 202-450-0094
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How Did MAHA Take a Back Seat to Big Ag?
The MAHA Commission’s May report exposed corporate capture in ag policy—but the leaked strategy draft dodges solutions. One big reason: government checkoffs.
Meatpacking: Four Corporations, Total Control
This second blog post in our series, The Food Monopoly Files, draws from our landmark report to explain how the meatpacking industry fell into the control of just four corporations.
MAHA Strategy Underwhelms Amid Industry Pressure
This strategy report demonstrates how corporate interests, including checkoff groups, hinder genuine reform—ignoring the root causes of America’s health crisis.