May 18, 2023 www.investigatemidwest.org Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Brand name vs. generic: Lawsuit offers peek inside pet industry competition
When pet owners walk into a pet store, they likely see a display of popular products intended to treat their pets for fleas and ticks. However, many pet owners may be unaware less expensive alternatives are available — and have been for years.
The companies that make these alternatives have been unable to gain much foothold in the pet medication marketplace, according to a lawsuit filed by Tevra against Bayer Animal Health (now Elanco).
Tevra sells flea-and-tick treatments for cats and dogs on its website, Amazon and elsewhere, but the company argues that Bayer prevented it from reaching pet owners where they’re most likely to shop — at major retail outlets, like PetSmart and Chewy.com. Bayer denies it.
The lawsuit gives a glimpse inside the business practices and competition in the $137 billion pet industry.
— Johnathan Hettinger, reporter
Cheap flea-and-tick products elusive? Lawsuit claims it’s intentional.
By Emily Le Coz, USA TODAY, and Johnathan Hettinger, Investigate Midwest
Cheaper equivalents for blockbuster brands of flea-and-tick pet products, which both kill and repel pests, have quietly eluded consumers for years.
Their elusiveness is not by accident, according to a federal lawsuit by one of the generic’s makers, but a scheme by the brand-name products’ company to block competition.
Read more.
This story is supported in part by The Fund for Investigative Journalism and co-published with USA TODAY.
In bankruptcy’s wake, a Minnesota meatpacking plant’s visa workers face an uncertain future
By Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest
HyLife Foods announced in early April that if it can’t sell its Windon, Minnesota, plant, it anticipated laying off the 1,007-person workforce by June 2. An end date has not been set, the company told Investigate Midwest on May 10.
About half of the plant’s workers are employed through a temporary visa program, and if the plant closes, they will have few options outside of immediate return to their home countries.
Read more.
Leer en español: Tras la quiebra, los trabajadores con permiso laboral en una planta procesadora de carne de Minnesota se enfrentan a un futuro incierto
See the graphic: Last year, a Minnesota pork plant employed more H-2B workers than any other meatpacker
Opinion: California Prop 12 alive and kickin’ but expect future litigation
Dave Dickey writes in his latest column: "The National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation just found out — as so many petitioners have in the history of our nation – that the U.S. Supreme Court is where dreams go to die.
"Ever since 2018 the NPPC and AFBF have dreamed of a world without California’s Proposition 12 — a law that when enacted would forbid the sale of most pork in California unless the slaughtered pig was birthed by a sow housed in 24 square feet of living space.
"The law as written treats all pork producers equally — whether they operate in California or elsewhere — with no constitutional violation of the Commerce Clause. That was the view of rulings at the district court and court of appeals."
Read more.
We sift through records and data about critical issues so you don't have to
Few things are as basic as quenching our thirst with a nice, long drink of water.
But what if that very water isn’t safe to drink? There are many causes of unsafe drinking water, and we continue to investigate one of those — elevated nitrates due to agricultural practices — in Minnesota private wells.
Many rural Minnesotans rely on private wells, which tap into groundwater systems spread underneath rolling crop fields and livestock operations. When nitrates from agriculture operations seep into the water and make it unsafe to drink, well owners and their families pay the price.
Nitrates have been linked to thyroid disease and certain cancers, and can cause “blue baby syndrome,” a potentially life-threatening condition affecting the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body.
This story is one in a series of periodic articles on the link between agricultural practices and nitrates in drinking water. (Last year, Investigate Midwest published an article about how nitrates burden low-income communities.)
This deep-dive, data-driven work wouldn’t be possible without your help.
Our goal for the Spring Celebration Campaign-Planting Seeds for Truth is to raise $10,000 by June 1, all targeted for our long-term growth and sustainability, so we can continue to produce the high quality stories you’ve come to expect.
Would you please make a tax-deductible donation today by going to our Donate page? You can use your credit or debit card, or PayPal account. (If using your credit or debit card, you do not need to set up an account; just click the box beneath the yellow PayPal button.)
A donation in any amount is appreciated. Your support will help us through the summer and beyond.
With gratitude,
Erin Orr
Executive Director/Managing Editor
