Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached a consent decision against Rodney Rasco (Rasco) of Carthage, Mississippi, on December 22, 2020, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revealed that Rasco failed to timely pay $83,062 for 145 head of livestock purchased in eight transactions from April 3 through May 22, 2017.
Under the Consent Decision and Order, Rasco agreed to cease and desist from failing to pay the full amount of the purchase price for livestock within the required time period and agreed to pay a civil penalty of $6,000, with $3,000 held in abeyance for a two-year period from the effective date of the Order.
Rasco also agreed to a two-year probationary period to fully comply with the requirements of P&S Act, its regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Order. If the AMS finds that Rasco fails to comply with the cease and desist provisions of the Consent Decision during the probation period, AMS may, without further procedure, seek full and immediate payment of the $3,000 that was held in abeyance. A copy of the full Consent Decision and Order is available.
The P&S Act requires subject entities to issue the full payment for livestock by the close of the first business day following purchase and transfer of possession. Failure to timely pay for livestock purchases and failure to issue the full payment for purchases is an unfair trade practice and 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 Jeana Harbison, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (202) 720-7051, or by email at Jeana.M.Harbison@usda.gov.
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