Title 7, AgricultureRelease 119-110
§197b Choice of Law and Venue
Title 7 › CHAPTER 9 — PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS › SUBCHAPTER II — PACKERS GENERALLY › Part A — General Provisions › § 197b
Summary
Disputes about poultry or swine growing or marketing contracts must be handled in the federal court district where most of the contract’s work happens. The contract can choose which State’s law applies to state-law issues, unless the State where most work happens bars that choice.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §197b
Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Location of forum
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)Choice of law
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 L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub.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
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110