Iowa ends 10-year lawsuit

Friday, June 7, 2013

The state of Iowa and a Japanese-owned pork production company based in Texas have reached an agreement that allows the company to do business, on Iowa's terms, following a series of lawsuits with integrators lasting more than 10 years.

In April, Iowa's Office of the Attorney General agreed not to pursue Texas Farm LLC for violating Iowa Code Section 202B.201, which prohibits contract growing of pork from taking place in Iowa. Code Section 202B.201 replaces another law that had been declared unconstitutional by the courts 10 years ago.

The state's press release says Iowa settled with Cargill and Hormel Foods Corporation in 2006 and with Tyson Foods Inc. in 2009. The most recent "consent decree" with Texas Farm LLC "protects the rights and interests of the state's contract growers," Attorney General Tom Miller said in a news release.  

The press release goes on to say that "Texas Farm has agreed that its Iowa contract growers will have a set of identified grower rights, including the right to be a 'whistleblower,' the right to join an association, the right to use a contract grower's lien, the right to review production contracts and the right to disclose contractual terms." BP