1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to agriculture; prohibiting certain retailers from obtaining an ownership 
1.3 	interest in livestock dealers or meat packing companies; prohibiting certain 
1.4 	exclusive contracts;amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 17A.03, by adding 
1.5 	a subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 17A.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 17A.03, is amended by adding a subdivision 
1.8 	to read:
1.9 		Subd. 17.Dominant retailer. "Dominant retailer" means an entity that:
1.10 	(1) is primarily engaged in the sale of meat at retail;
1.11 	(2) has annual retail sales of meat exceeding $18,000,000,000, as adjusted each year for 
1.12 	inflation by multiplying that amount by the cumulative inflation rate as determined by the 
1.13 	United States Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers; and
1.14 	(3) has at least one retail location or distribution center located in at least 20 states, 
1.15 	including Minnesota.

1.16 	Sec. 2. [17A.075] PROHIBITED OWNERSHIP INTERESTS AND EXCLUSIVE 
1.17 	CONTRACTS.
1.18 		Subdivision 1.Ownership interests and exclusive contracts. (a) A dominant retailer 
1.19 	must not directly or indirectly own, acquire, or otherwise obtain any ownership interest in 
1.20 	a livestock dealer or meat packing company.
2.1 	(b) A dominant retailer must not enter into an exclusive contract with any livestock 
2.2 	dealer or meat packing company that requires the livestock dealer or meat packing company 
2.3 	to sell their product exclusively to the dominant retailer.
2.4 		Subd. 2.Certification. By October 1, 2026, all dominant retailers doing business in 
2.5 	Minnesota must certify whether the dominant retailer is in compliance with subdivision 1. 
2.6 	A dominant retailer not in compliance with subdivision 1 by October 1, 2026, may request 
2.7 	an extension from the commissioner. The commissioner may provide an extension for 180 
2.8 	days for a dominant retailer to be in compliance, provided that the dominant retailer shows 
2.9 	a good faith effort in its attempts to be in compliance. To qualify for an extension, a dominant 
2.10 	retailer must submit a divestiture plan to the commissioner, in the form approved by the 
2.11 	commissioner, for each livestock dealer or meat packing company in which the dominant 
2.12 	retailer has an ownership interest.
2.13 		Subd. 3.Public comment, enforcement, and penalties. (a) The attorney general must 
2.14 	accept public comment with information on any dominant retailer acting in violation of this 
2.15 	section.
2.16 	(b) An action to enforce this section may be brought by the attorney general in the name 
2.17 	of the state on behalf of the commissioner for injunctive relief or civil penalties. A dominant 
2.18 	retailer found to be in violation of this section may be subject to a civil penalty of $25,000 
2.19 	for each day a dominant retailer violates this section.

2.20 	EFFECTIVE DATE. Subdivision 3 is effective August 1, 2027.