Turkey Producers Face Trial as US Antitrust Litigation Narrows

According to Ontario Farmer, which first reported on the latest developments, the litigation centers on accusations that leading turkey processors coordinated production decisions and exchanged competitively sensitive information in an effort to restrict supply and raise prices paid by commercial buyers.

U.S. District Judge Sunil Harjani of the Northern District of Illinois recently granted summary judgment in favor of Perdue Farms and Foster Farms, finding that plaintiffs had not produced sufficient evidence to show the companies participated in an unlawful conspiracy. However, claims against Butterball, Jennie-O and Prestage will continue toward trial.

The lawsuits are part of multidistrict litigation filed in Chicago federal court that alleges major turkey producers violated U.S. antitrust laws by coordinating output and using industry data to influence pricing in the wholesale turkey market.

Plaintiffs, including direct purchasers of turkey products, contend that producers exchanged information through Agri Stats, an Indiana-based agricultural data company that compiles detailed reports on production, sales and pricing trends. The plaintiffs argue that the information-sharing practices enabled processors to align production decisions and maintain elevated prices between approximately 2010 and 2017.

The defendant companies have denied wrongdoing.

Court filings indicate that the surviving claims could proceed to a jury trial later this year. Judge Harjani noted that while certain claims presented enough evidence to survive summary judgment, the evidence overall was not overwhelming.

We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

Add as Preferred Source

Related: Turkey Launches Competition Probe Into 65 Auditing and Advisory Firms

The turkey litigation has already produced several settlements. Tyson Foods agreed in 2021 to pay $4.62 million to resolve claims brought by direct purchasers without admitting liability. In January 2025, Cargill agreed to a $32.5 million settlement and committed to cooperate with plaintiffs in their continuing cases against remaining defendants, according to Reuters.

The case forms part of a broader wave of antitrust challenges targeting competition practices in U.S. agricultural and protein markets. Similar lawsuits have been filed against companies in the chicken, pork and beef industries, alleging price coordination, production restraints and wage suppression.

Regulators have also increased scrutiny of information-sharing mechanisms used within concentrated agricultural sectors. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice and several states sued Agri Stats, alleging that its reports facilitated anticompetitive conduct by enabling meat processors to monitor rivals’ business decisions. The company denied the allegations.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department and six states reached a settlement with Agri Stats that imposes restrictions on the types of data the company may collect and distribute, while also requiring broader access to certain market information for buyers such as grocery chains and restaurants.

Competition experts have increasingly focused on the role of market concentration in U.S. food supply chains. Court filings in the turkey litigation have noted that a relatively small number of processors controlled a substantial share of the wholesale turkey market during the period covered by the lawsuit, raising questions about whether information exchanges among competitors may have reduced independent decision-making.

The remaining defendants continue to deny participating in any coordinated effort to manipulate prices.

Source: Ontario Farmer