Tag: Dairy Farmers of America

DOJ MAKES STATEMENT OF INTEREST IN DFA CASE

OCM Staff

by Nicole Heslip Source: Brownfield Ag News The Department of Justice has filed a brief in an ongoing Dairy Farmers of America federal court case with Northeast dairy farmers. The Department says the cooperative’s actions are inconsistent with legal protections for co-ops in the Capper-Volstead Act and is not safeguarded from antitrust laws as DFA argues. Ben Gotschall with the Organization for Competitive Markets tells Brownfield the purpose of agriculture antitrust laws is to protect producers and they’re pleased to Read More …

DOJ Antitrust Division Weighs in on Farmers’ Suit Against DFA

OCM Staff

by Chris Clayton Source: Progressive Farmer Ag Policy Blog The U.S. Department of Justice has come down on the side of a group of more than 100 dairy farmers in a federal lawsuit against the country’s largest dairy cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America. As initially reported by the Food and Environment Reporting Network, a group of 116 Northeastern dairy farmers rejected to take part in a prior lawsuit settlement against DFA in 2016 and instead pressed their case Read More …

BREAKING: Department of Justice Files Amicus Brief in Dairy Farmers of America Lawsuit

OCM Staff

On July 27th, 2020, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against Dairy Farmers of America, the United States’ largest dairy cooperative. The lawsuit, filed in Vermont U.S. District Court, alleges that DFA and other cooperatives agreed not to compete for each other’s farmer-members, conspired to share payment information in order to discourage competition and depress prices, and maintained those low prices market-wide by entering into supply agreements with Dean Foods Read More …

WNAX | OCM Wants Regulators To Disallow DFA Acquisition Of Majority Of Dean Foods

OCM Staff

Dean Foods officials have announced that Dairy Farmers of America is the winning bidder to acquire 44 of their fluid and frozen facilities for $433 million. Organization For Competitive Markets Director of Policy and Research Ben Gotschall says that’s a huge concentration concern and that that deal still must be approved before it goes through. He says it’s important to note that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating any possible anti-trust concerns with this acquisition. Gotschall says antitrust Read More …

WNAX | Organization For Competitive Markets Is Monitoring Sale Of Dean Foods Assets

OCM Staff

The Organization For Competitive Markets is monitoring the bidding process for the acquisition of Dean Foods assets following the company’s decision to file for bankruptcy. Earlier Dean had received an offer from Dairy Farmers of America to purchase some of their assets however they have now withdrawn that offer. That move allows for a competitive bidding process. OCM Policy and Research Director Ben Gotschall says that competitive bidding is what’s needed to address concentration concerns. He says OCM Read More …

WNAX Radio | OCM Concerned With Dairy Market Concentration

OCM Staff

Source: WNAX Radio Date Published: January 19, 2020 The Organization for Competitive Markets is studying the Justice Department’s investigation of Dairy Farmers of America and their potential deal to acquire the bankrupted Dean Foods. OCM Policy and Research Director Ben Gotschall says they’re very concerned about increasing concentration in the dairy industry. He says prior to Dean Foods filing for bankruptcy there was already market concentration and following the restructuring it also led to the loss of several Read More …