Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 1/25/11

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a former Tennessee poultry grower’s petition to review his lawsuit claiming Tyson Farms gave him a raw deal, according to an update on the high court’s website.

The court documents did not show the justices’ comments on the decision to deny Alton T. Terry, who alleged that Tyson terminated his contract because he encouraged fellow farmers to complain about the company’s business practices.

Lower courts had dismissed Terry’s lawsuit, citing lack of proof that Tyson’s practice caused harm to overall competition.

New rules that USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration has proposed would not require in all cases that farmers prove harm to competition when claiming injuries caused by packers.
USDA has received more than 28,000 stakeholder comments on the rules, which have yet to be finalized.

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