Virtual Competition Roundtable: Harnessing State Antitrust Enforcement in Food & Agriculture

AAI hosted a virtual roundtable on June 29 to discuss state antitrust enforcement in food and agriculture. Watch the roundtable.

Antitrust concerns in the food and agriculture supply chains have been laid bare by the  COVID-19 pandemic and associated supply-chain disruptions. Even before the pandemic, though, credible allegations of conspiracies abounded in almost every major raw food product, from beef to tuna to mushrooms. Complaints of monopsonization in upstream supply markets were also growing louder. This virtual AAI competition roundtable addressed why state antitrust enforcers are in a unique position to address potential antitrust violations in food and agriculture markets and to make significant contributions to more aggressive enforcement in this critical sector.

The expert panel discussion began by assessing the state of play in competition in food and agriculture, including how horizontal and vertical ownership patterns have created large wingspans of corporate control by dominant players and tight oligopolies. Panelists assessed how market power bottlenecks in the food and agriculture supply chain can spur reactive consolidation designed to gain bargaining leverage over suppliers and distributors. The discussion then turned to how high market concentration creates stronger incentives for players to coordinate, rather than compete, to the detriment of producers and consumers. The roundtable focused on practical, tractable issues for state enforcers in identifying and bringing cases, informed by policy developments and cooperative initiatives between antitrust enforcers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CLE CREDITS:

This roundtable was approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for one (1) CLE credit hour. Attendees will be emailed CLE certificate of attendance after the roundtable.