
The U.S. government is investigating allegations of price-fixing against the country’s biggest poultry companies.
The Department of Justice tipped its hand last week when it requested a temporary halt to discovery proceedings in a 2016 class-action lawsuit filed by food distributor Maplevale Farms, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Maplevale accuses Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale, Perdue Farms Inc. of Salisbury, Maryland, and others of conspiring to fix poultry prices between 2008 and 2016. The lawsuit claims the companies shared information and restricted supply by destroying breeder hens.
The AP reports that the government wants a six-month delay to protect an ongoing grand jury investigation. A federal court judge in Chicago is scheduled to rule on the request Thursday.
The case is one of nearly 40 filed by grocers, restaurants and others against the poultry companies. Walmart Inc. of Bentonville and Kroger Co. of Cincinnati are among those who have sued, although Walmart’s lawsuit doesn’t name Tyson Foods.
Tyson Foods has repeatedly denied allegations in the lawsuits. In May, Arkansas Business asked Amy Tu, Tyson Foods’ executive vice president and general counsel, about the price-fixing charges.
“We’re disappointed by these claims. There’s simply no merit to the allegations that Tyson Foods colluded with competitors,” she said. “We operate with integrity every day and welcome competition, which makes us a better company, enhances the quality of our products and provides more choices at greater value to our customers. We will vigorously defend ourselves.”
(The Associated Press and Mark Friedman contributed to this report.)