Lehigh charges (Continued from Page AX) charges a “crybaby publicity barrage.” Daiiylea said Lehigh’s charges were totally false and said the pnces cited by Dairylea also were totally false. But Dairylea refused to disclose the actual prices saying it would never begin to tell anyone about the details of any business agreement. At A&P’s Montvale, N.J. plant company officials said they could not comment on the case as it was bemg handled by their legal department. IDEAL. Livestock Equipment P O Box 458 • Jefferson lowa 50129 USA RAISED CRATE DECK - ■ it £ STACKED NURSERY PENS fe r){ l%fiv IT WAS OUR PLEASURE SEEING YOU AT THE KEYSTONE PORK CONGRESS THANKS FOR STOPPING BY. Ryder supply —~ “We are charging the lowest price we are allowed by law in those 20 stores,” was all company spokesman Bill Vitulh would say. Lehigh’s Barry main tained the laws were in tended to protect the price paid to dairy farmers. Barry said consumers are paying between $l.BO and $1.94 for the same package of milk at A&P. “That gives A&P 38 to 52 cents per gallon- on what is supposed to be an economy package,” Barry said. He called the margin “an outrageously high profit fori any chain store to extract.” | He said it results in an’ extraordinarily low payment price to farmers. Barry said he felt the Dairylea agreement amounted to illegal tolling of milk. “Earl Fink (PMMB Executive Secretary) has the power to pull the licenses,” Barry said. “The regulations are liberal and he can attempt to do it. “If he doesn’t, why should anybody abide by the law’” Barry asked. Fink said Thursday he had assigned a team to in vestigate the Lehigh charges. He said if the charges in the complaint were substantiated that PMMB would hold a hearing. Even should Fink move to !'V ‘‘ilk r C 3 revoke license as requested by Lehigh, the action could be slowed down in court for 30 to 90 days by Dairylea. “If PMMB is unwilling to move against A&P and Dairylea they put Lehigh in an untennable position,” Barry said. He called Dairylea’s pricing “idiotic” and said only a desperate co-op could sell milk at a price as low as Dairylea. “We worked hard to move from a $5 million loss to $BOO,OOO profit and we’d hate to lose it to the bad managment of another co op,” Barry said. “They are where we were five years ago. Their last financial statement showed them about $4 million m debt,” he said. He said Dairylea’s action could only end up costing the farmer money. Dairyiea took strong exception to the charges. Dairyiea said Lehigh is “desperate.” “We’re annoyed to per ceive anyone trying to keep a customer by using a government agency to browbeat the customer,” said Dairylea’s Bruce Snow. Snow said Dairyiea was fully audited by PMMB before the deal with A&P was consumated. He said the deal was made last Friday, February 8. On Saturday, February 9, a hearing was held to give PMMB better control over tolling. • increase profit by reducing stress and death loss. Farrow pigs off cold floor. • Allows economical version of existing ities for crate use. • Stainless steel or gal vanized steel slats or Sani- Deck available. • Expand production fast in new or existing build ings. • Handle up to 10 pigs in 4 ft. x 4 ft. pen or up to 20 pigs in 4 ft. x 8 ft. pen. • Large six-opening feeder will handle both pen si2es and is easily removed for cleaning. Feeder is 30*72 in. long and 23 in. high with long-lasting stainless steel trough. RRB, P.O. Box 219 Chambersburg, PA 17201 Phone: 717-263-9111 Regulations were promulgated to require a 45- day notice on such contracts and requiring a three per cent margin. Dairylea charged PMMB failed to have a public hearing on the matter before taking action. Snow said Dairylea asked to comment on the matter and PMMB refused to allow comment. He said Dairylea’s legal council said the am mendment to PMMB rules is illegal because it is am biguous and because of the manner m which it was promulgated. Snow also pointed out Dairylea was servicing the A&P account before the rule was instituted. They had started the day before PMMB gave its ruling. PMMB’s Fink agreed that Dairylea’s agreement with A&P was started before the regulation took effect. But, Fink said, the regulation was proposed in December, was open to comment for 30 days, and PMMB voted to promulgate the regulations on Saturday, February 2. The regulation was published in the Penn sylvania Bulletin on February 9. Since Dairylea’s agreement went into effect the day before the regulation was published Fink said the rules do not apply to the agreement. That did not seem to make Dairyiea any happier about, Lehigh’s charges. “Lehigh, for years, has taken accounts away from other people. They should be willing to meet competition with competition rather than force,” Snow maintained. In its charges, Lehigh also asked a state-wide hearing to review retail minimum pricing as now structured to avoid over-control. Lehigh recommended a major change to allow all dealers and retailers to sell at competitive prices, but not below cost. con facil- ★ FULL LINE PARTS DEPARTMENT * WE SELL, SERVICE AND INSTALL L4iHET3 -sr* RD 3 SPRECHER RCTTWILLOW STREET, PA LANCASTER COUNTY | • PHONE 717-464-3321 . ' J Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 16,1980—A27 A hearing set for Tuesday may touch on that 'subject. The February 12 hearing will give the industry a chance to tell PMMB how to improve its regulations on tolling. But the meeting should Rules change for returning U.S. animals from Canada WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rules for animals returning to the United States after being exhibited in Canada have been amended, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Thursday. Pierre Chaloux of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said the amendment will allow animals and poultry to be exhibited in Canada and returned to the United States within 90 days without the need for Canadian health or test certification. Horses, however, must have been tested with negative results for equine infectious anemia prior to entering Canada and returned within 90 days of the date the horses were tested. Offspring of U.S. animals bom m Canada during the THINI Bill) ~ READ LANCASTER FARMING'S | I ADVERTISING TO FIND ALL I * YOUR NEEDS! jj i have little or no effect on the Dariyleadeal. And it probably will be a while before dairy circles stop spinning from the charges. 90-day period will not need tests to enter the United States. Chaloux said the new regulations also will permit foals of Canadian mares to enter the United States without testing for equine infectious anemia, provided the accompanying mares were found negative to equine infectious anemia tests before giving birth and unported within 60 days of the test date. The amendment was published in the February 8 Federal Register. A final impact analysis statement has been prepared and is available from Program Services Staff, Room 870, APHIS/USDA Federal Building, 6505 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, Md. 20782.
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