Wisconsin partners with USDA to combat anticompetitive agricultural practices
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, 30 other state attorneys general, and officials from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota are working with federal officials on anticompetitive practices in agriculture, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
The USDA announced last week the launch of the Agricultural Competition partnership, an initiative that focuses on identifying market structures and practices hurting competition among farmers, farm suppliers, food processors, and related industries. The program will also look for price-gouging instances and other retail practices harmful to consumers.
The partnership could use up to $15 million in federal funding. There is hope that collaboration among federal and state experts will bring positive results in addressing consolidation and anticompetitive practices in agriculture.
Two years ago, the National Farmers Union launched its Fairness for Farmers campaign, calling on federal and state officials to enforce existing antitrust laws and work to rebalance market power between large corporations and people who are farming.
