WASHINGTON — The US Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a 60-day comment period on a proposed final judgment and competitive impact statement involving Koch Foods Inc.

In November, the DOJ filed a civil lawsuit against the company to prohibit anti-trust actions including chicken farmers and growers paying Koch termination penalties to switch to other poultry processors.

Along with the lawsuit, the DOJ detailed its consent decree that Koch Foods should inform all current growers with contracts containing a termination penalty provision that the company would not enforce it.

Next, the department wants Koch to reimburse growers for all termination penalty payments and out-of-pocket legal expenses tied to the company enforcing the penalty.

Under the decree, Koch Foods would refrain from including termination penalty obligations in any grower contracts for the next seven years and taking any steps to collect termination penalty payments.

The company must also not retaliate against any grower involved in any dispute involving a termination penalty or who cooperated with the DOJ or US Department of Agriculture in their investigations of Koch’s termination penalty practices.

Finally, the DOJ expects Koch to meet specific reporting and compliance obligations, including an annual certification for seven years that Koch complies with the proposed final judgment.

The comment period began on Dec. 7 and was published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed judgment in the next 60 days.

Koch Foods is the fifth largest poultry producer in the United States and operates in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.