Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73

§197b Choice of law and venue

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 9— - PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - PACKERS GENERALLY › Part Part A— - General Provisions › § 197b

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Lawsuits about a poultry-growing or swine production contract must be filed in the federal court district where most of the contract’s work takes place. The contract can pick which State’s laws decide state-law issues unless the law of the State where most work happens forbids that choice.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §197b

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The forum for resolving any dispute among the parties to a poultry growing arrangement or swine production or marketing contract that arises out of the arrangement or contract shall be located in the Federal judicial district in which the principle part of the performance takes place under the arrangement or contract.

(b)A poultry growing arrangement or swine production or marketing contract may specify which State’s law is to apply to issues governed by State law in any dispute arising out of the arrangement or contract, except to the extent that doing so is prohibited by the law of the State in which the principal part of the performance takes place under the arrangement or contract.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246. section 11005 of Pub. L. 110–246, which directed amendment of title II of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, by adding sections 208 to 210 at the end, was executed by adding the sections at the end of this part, which is subtitle A of title II of the Act, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 197b

Title 7 — Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73