by Ann Hess, National Hog Farmer magazine
Tyson Foods and Cargill have agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million in a settlement reached with the Consumer Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs in a beef price-fixing lawsuit that stems from 2019. Filed this week in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, the Consumer IPP class notified the court that Tyson will pay $55 million and Cargill $32.5 million in monetary relief. Both firms have also agreed to cooperate in the case against the two remaining defendants, JBS USA and National Beef Packing.
The Consumer IPPs are consumers who indirectly purchased beef from major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam’s Club between August 2014 and December 2019. They hail from 26 states and the District of Columbia, where laws allow indirect purchasers to sue for damages.
The Consumer IPPs’ motion for class certification is due to be heard at the beginning of November 2025.
The class-action lawsuit claims that the four largest meat packers conspired to restrict the supply of cattle and fix beef prices. The defendants, who collectively control about 80% of the U.S. beef market, are accused of limiting production and sharing confidential market data to drive up prices.
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