Agri Stats has decided to settle a federal antitrust class action alleging it conspired with major red meat processors to suppress U.S. worker wages at plants across the country, Reuters reports.
Although Agri Stats, an agricultural analysis and consulting firm, will not pay into a settlement fund, it agreed to cooperate with the plaintiffs and change how it reports some labor-related data in the future. The proposed settlement was filed on Jan. 8 in the federal district court in Colorado and requires a judge’s approval, the article says.
The plaintiffs claimed a years-long conspiracy among leading red meat processors to keep wages low. The workers said when the processors shared confidential compensation data with Agri Stats, it violated antitrust law, Reuters reports.
The workers have since won more than $200 million in settlements from Tyson, JBS, Cargill and other processors since 2022, Reuters reports. According to Meat + Poultry, in 2024 Cargill was expected to pay $29.75 million, National Beef $14.2 million, and Hormel $13.5 million. Tyson Foods agreed to pay $72.5 million earlier that year, and JBS USA previously settled for $55 million.
“Agri Stats denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement,” Reuters reports. “It said resolving the claims would avoid further expense, disruption and burden of litigation. The company is not currently issuing pork reports and says it has no plans to restart them, court records show.”
The latest court report shows Smithfield Foods Inc. as the remaining defendant.
According to Reuters, Agri Stats denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement. It said “resolving the claims would avoid further expense, disruption and burden of litigation.”
