Release No.: 162-18
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2018 – On Oct, 24, 2018, the Paris Livestock Auction LLC, Paris, Texas, waived its right to a hearing, entered into a stipulation agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and paid a penalty of $3,000 for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
The Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) investigation of Paris Livestock Auction, LLC revealed custodial account shortages of $43,114 on January 12, 2018 and $170,173 on April 6, 2018. A custodial account is a trust account that is a separate bank account designated for shippers’ proceeds. Operating with custodial account shortages is a violation of the P&S Act and places livestock sellers at risk of not being paid timely or at all.
The P&S Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties up to $28,061 per violation against any person after notice and opportunity for hearing on the record. USDA may offer alleged violators the option of waiving their right to a hearing and entering into a stipulation agreement to quickly resolve alleged violations.
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, Director, Packers and Stockyards Division, Fair Trade Practices Program at (515) 323-2586, or by email at Stuart.Frank@usda.gov.
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