א נקודה למחשבה, די געשעפט אין בארא פארק וואס בעהט כמעט צוויי דאלער פאר א דאזען אייער קומט אויס מיט 70 פראצענט טייערער אויף אייער פון די ביליגסטע געשעפט אויף די ליסט
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Illinois jury ruled this week that several major egg producers conspired to limit the U.S.'s supply of eggs in order to raise prices in a case stemming from a federal lawsuit originally filed 12 years ago.
Several large food manufacturing companies including Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company alleged in the lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that producers used various means to limit the U.S. domestic supply of eggs to increase the prices of eggs and egg products during the 2000s. The time frame of the conspiracy was an issue throughout the case; jurors ultimately determined damages occurred between 2004 and 2008.
A jury unanimously delivered its verdict Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois and damages will be decided in a trial scheduled for next week.
The suppliers include the family company of an Indiana egg farmer running for the U.S. Senate in the state.
Attorneys for the four egg suppliers named in the lawsuit did not immediately return phone messages on Wednesday. Court documents show the defendants denied the claims.
The jury found that the egg suppliers exported eggs to reduce the overall supply in the domestic market, as well as limiting the number of chickens through means including cage space, early slaughter and flock reduction, court documents say.
"We are incredibly pleased by the jury's decision to hold egg producers Cal-Maine Foods and Rose Acre Farms accountable alongside United Egg Producers and United States Egg Marketers for conspiring to inflate the price of eggs," Brandon Fox, an attorney representing the food manufacturers, said in a statement. "For the first time, the defendants have been held liable for their antitrust violations. We are now going to turn our attention to the damages phase."
Court documents say the jury found the food manufacturers suffered injury in the timeframe of 2004 to 2008. Jurors were specifically told not to consider more recent egg pricing during their deliberations.
Other food manufacturers joining as plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the egg producers are General Mills, Inc. and Nestle USA, Inc. The jury found the egg suppliers who participated in the conspiracy were Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., United Egg Producers, Inc., United States Egg Marketers, Inc. and Rose Acre Farms, Inc., a southern Indiana-based company previously chaired by John Rust.
Rust, who is running for Indiana's U.S. Senate seat in 2024, declined to comment Wednesday citing the ongoing litigation. Rose Acre Farms identifies itself as the second-largest egg producer in the U.S.
Rust is currently suing Indiana's Secretary of State over a contested state law that could prevent his name from getting on the primary ballot as a Republican. According to the law, a candidate must vote in two primaries with the party they are affiliated with or the county party chair must approve their candidacy. Rust has argued the law is unconstitutional and vague.
The egg farmer faces an uphill battle for the GOP nomination: opponent U.S. Rep. Jim Banks has received the endorsement of the Indiana Republican Party and former President Donald Trump. The seat is currently held by Republican Mike Braun, who is instead running for governor next year.
"Today's verdict proves John Rust isn't just a conman pretending to be a Republican, he is a crook who exploits working class Hoosiers across Indiana for his own financial gain," Banks said in a written statement. "While Indiana families struggle to put food on the table, he's making it even harder to do that."
דאע"ג דכבר למד הרבה פעמים כל התורה והמצות, מ"מ כשיגיע המועד חייב לשאול ולדרוש בהלכות כל מועד ומועד בזמנו [ב"ח]
און פאר מנעמט זיך ווייטער צאפן בלוט פון די גראסעריס וועגן הויכע אייער פרייזן נאט אייך א באריכט פון דעם מאנטאג יתרו, פון די אנטיסעמיטישע USDA אין וואשינגטאן, אין קאהוץ מיט אלע היימישע גראסעריס.
איך קען נישט ליינען אלע פרטים און קליינע ווערטער, אבער עפעס שטייט ארויף די פרייזן, למשל אין קאליפארניע מיט 90 צענט, און ניו יארק אסאך ווייניגער ארויף, עפעס צו טון מיט היימישע גרויסע סופערמארקעטס.
סארי פאר די סארקאסטישקייט, אבער די אכזריות פון פייניגן די 24-6 ארבייטנדע גראסערי מענטשן אייגענע גוטע אומשולדיגע ברידער ציפט און בייסט עמוק עמוק.
איך ווייס נישט אויפ'ן מאמענט וואו עס האלט די פרייז פון צוויבל, אבער א באריכט דא אטאשירט צייגט אז מען רעדט יעצט פון רעקארד הויכע צוויבל פרייזן.
ממילא נאך איידער מען נעמט זיך פריש צו די שווער ארבייטנדע גראסערי ארבייטער און מענעדזשערס און אייגענטומער מיט זייער אכזריות פון מאניפולירן די צוויבל פרייזן, פונקט פאר חודש אדר, ברענג איך דעם באריכט פון אינסייד אינדוסטריע, מען זאל זעהן וואס הייבט די פרייזן פון צוויבל ארום די וועלט, ביז אייער שבת טיש, און פון דעם זאל מען זיך אראפלערנען אויף אלע אנדערע זאכן.
GLOBAL MARKET ONIONS
Very high to near historical high prices for onions are seen on many markets in different parts of the world. This is driven by several factors, with the shortages being exacerbated by extended onion bans from traditionally large exporting countries of India and Egypt. European importers have turned to China to supply more onions due to the bans as well as lower production in most of Europe.
However, the Red Sea attacks are delaying shipments from China. They are happy with the big increase in demand from Europe and domestically, but exporters in China are cautious due to this shipping challenge.In the past half month, the price in China has surged by nearly 30%. India’s neighbouring countries are acutely feeling the export ban with inflated prices in their markets as a result. Germany is seeing high prices for domestic and imported onions from Spain due to a smaller harvest volume. Given the higher prices Spanish producers are set to expand production this year. Italy is seeing a complex onion market with very high prices.
Austrian onion prices have started to increase while they are also seeing export interest. Denmark has seen an increase in demand from the rest of Europe, but they are not able to fully supply the extra orders with supply going to contracted customers domestically and in Germany. Exporters in the Netherlands say at this price level it is challenging to compete in the global onion market.
In North America, Mexico has lower onion stockswith the impact of storms and hurricanes last year August that has led to lower production.Pressure on North American onion supplies could be felt until August as Mexicans turn to the US for supplies. Eastern Canada has had a lot of rain that impacted their crops. Sweet onion supply from Peru to the US has been short too leaving white onions at almost historically high pricing. Peru also increased onion exports to Spain to fill the gap left by Egypt's ban.