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BEEF PACKERS ASK COURT TO THROW OUT ANTITRUST LAWSUIT
Jun. 9, 2020
POLITICO reports:
Lawyers for the four largest U.S. beef packers - Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS and National Beef - told a federal court on Monday that the Justice Department's probe into the beef market doesn't justify civil antitrust lawsuits filed by cattle ranchers, who accuse the meatpacking giants of coordinating to lower the cattle prices they pay to livestock producers. The companies are asking the district judge in Minnesota to toss out the cases, which they say are based on "speculation and gossip."
"There are a lot of things the plaintiffs try to say are nefarious but just aren't," said Nicole Saharsky, a lawyer for Cargill. "A government request for information as reported by the media does not make this complaint more plausible."
R-CALF USA and others filed suit last year, alleging antitrust violations and seeking damages for ranchers. According to the claims, the four beef packers started coordinating in 2015 to reduce the number of cattle they slaughtered and the animals they bought directly from ranchers in the cash market - actions that depressed cattle prices.
Thomas J. Undlin, a lawyer for the ranchers, argued that the DOJ investigation and a related USDA probe are highly relevant to the suits. "The Department of Justice is in the game," Undlin said. "They've started an investigation of the defendants, sent [subpoenas] to defendants and confirmed they are investigating into the cattle and beef processing markets."
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