Washington State sues 19 chicken producers over alleged price fixing

Washington state’s attorney general Bob Ferguson sued the top 19 US poultry companies, alleging that they conspired to fix chicken prices.

Among the defendants were Tyson Foods, Sanderson Farms, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., and Perdue Farms.

The lawsuit also named Agri Stats, a news service allegedly used to set prices, as a defendant.

According to Ferguson, the price-fixing claims for many of the defendants have been litigated or are being litigated in other jurisdictions, including a criminal trial in Colorado.

However, Washington consumers deserve their day in court, said |Ferguson.

The attorney general emphasized that the conspiracy led to middle-class and low-income Washington families paying more to put food on their tables.