Washington, DC, USA
August 7, 2009

Philip J. Weiser
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Antitrust Division
U.S. Department of Justice

Remarks as Prepared for the Organization for Competitive Markets 11th Annual Conference
St. Louis, Missouri

I. Introduction:

I am very happy to be here with you today. In terms of her priorities for the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, Christine Varney, my boss and the new Assistant Attorney General, has emphasized the importance of competition issues affecting agriculture as one area on which she will focus. It is thus appropriate that my first speech as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in charge of Policy, Appellate, and International Matters is before this important conference.

In speaking with you all today, I will share my understanding of the current state of affairs in agriculture markets and invite your suggestions as to how the Antitrust Division should approach these issues. In particular, I will outline our plans for learning more about these markets in the upcoming workshops that we will conduct with the US Department of Agriculture (and will include participation from other interested stakeholders, such as State Attorneys General) to examine the state of competition in agriculture markets. Before outlining some of the key areas we and the USDA expect to examine in our workshops, I will begin by discussing the role that concerns about agriculture markets played in spurring the enactment of the Sherman Act and the Division's recent activities in the agriculture marketplace.

Full remarks

Website: http://www.usdoj.gov

Published: August 7, 2009