Farmers File Class Action Lawsuit Against Tyson Foods for Alleged Antitrust Violations

A group of farmers who raised chickens for Tyson Foods has filed a class-action lawsuit against the meat industry giant. The complaint, filed June 6 in the Circuit Court of Stoddard County, Missouri, accuses Tyson Foods of reneging on its promise to refrain from antitrust conduct.

The 45 former Tyson contract producers say Tyson Foods assured local and state officials that it would sell its Dexter, Mo., meatpacking complex to a competitor after closing two plants in the State earlier this year. Instead, Tyson sold the property in March to Cal-Maine Foods, the nation's largest egg company, rather than another meatpacking company.

Russell Oliver, the Missouri attorney representing the plaintiffs, said: “Our lawsuit alleges that because of the defendants' anticompetitive behavior, these families will never again be able to perform the only work they spent millions to do of dollars. This fact makes the value of these farms (once worth millions) almost nothing.

The class action lawsuit claims that Tyson Foods and Cal-Maine conspired to prevent a competing meatpacking company from purchasing the Dexter plant, thereby violating Missouri antitrust laws. The plaintiffs claim that this alleged collusion effectively destroyed their livelihoods and devalued their farms.

Tyson Foods, a major player in the meatpacking industry with nearly $53 billion in 2023 revenue and operations in 183 chicken facilities across the country, now faces significant challenges legal proceedings following these allegations.

Source: Investigate the Midwest