A federal judge in Oklahoma has granted more than 2,400 chicken producers class-action lawsuit status in a case against Pilgrim’s Pride and 20 other companies.
The growers say Pilgrim’s and other chicken-industry integrators conspired since 2008 to suppress grower pay through agreements such as the No-Poach Agreement (NPA) and the Information Sharing Agreement (ISA).
No poaching means growers can’t switch buyers.
Information sharing meant integrators could get growers’ history of dealings with their processor.
According to a documentary, Super Size Me by Martin Spurlock, the integrators give growers a score and downgrade those who raise objections so their returns, which are linked to the scores, are reduced. In the documentary, a grower who co-operated on the project had his score knocked down from top to bottom.
In January 2023, Sanderson Farms reached an agreement with eight defendants.
Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue Farms and Koch Foods were also named in lawsuit. In 2021, Tyson and Perdue Farms settled for $21 million and $14.75 million, respectively. In May, Koch Foods settled with growers for $15.5 million.
The case against Pilgrim’s Pride is still open.
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