The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Agri Stats Inc. for organizing and sharing anticompetitive information among broiler chicken, pork and turkey processors.
The lawsuit contends that Agri Stats violated the Sherman Act by collecting, integrating and distributing competitively sensitive information about cost, price and output to competing meat processors.
“The complaint further alleges that Agri Stats understood that meat processors have used these reports for anticompetitive purposes and, in some instances, even encouraged meat processors to raise prices and reduce supply,” the DOJ said in a news release.
The complaint alleges that Agri Stats has shared sensitive information for years and continues to do so to this day.
“While Agri Stats paused its turkey and pork reporting after facing several private antitrust lawsuits, Agri Stats has expressed an intent to resume such reporting after these lawsuits’ resolution,” the DOJ said.
