The Georgia Department of Agriculture has suspended the Georgia Dock weekly chicken-price index indefinitely. The Department this week announced the move, ending the index that companies operating in that state have used to determine prices for nearly 45 years. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the department tried to implement a new system to require participants to submit affidavits and other documentation to prove that the purchasing and selling data they are reporting to the Georgia Dock are accurate. But that system didn’t take, and a new one will go live next year. The Georgia Department of Agriculture is expected to introduce the Georgia Premium Poultry Price Index. Official reporting of the index is expected to start in February. The Georgia Dock prices were collected via phone survey of chicken companies without independent verification and had been as much as 40 cents per pound higher than other price indices. A recent media report prompted the state to take action.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.