Plaintiffs argued packers manipulated supply and pricing data that reduced competition in the market, harming both cattle producers and consumers
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Tyson Foods and Cargill have agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million to settle a long-running beef price-fixing lawsuit, marking a major milestone in one of the nation’s most significant antitrust cases in the meatpacking industry. The class-action suit, first filed in 2019, accused the four largest U.S. beef processors of conspiring to manipulate cattle supplies and inflate beef prices for consumers.
According to court filings in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota, Tyson will pay $55 million and Cargill $32.5 million in monetary relief. Both companies also agreed to cooperate with plaintiffs as litigation continues against the remaining defendants, JBS and National Beef Packing. Neither Tyson nor Cargill admitted wrongdoing as part of the settlement, saying that resolving the case now allows them to move forward and avoid prolonged legal costs.
The case was brought by Consumer Indirect Purchaser plaintiffs—individuals across 26 states and Washington, D.C.—who claim they paid artificially high prices for beef products purchased from major retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Sam’s Club between August 2014 and December 2019. State laws in those jurisdictions allow indirect purchasers to seek damages for price manipulation even when they didn’t buy directly from the alleged conspirators.
At the center of the lawsuit is the accusation that Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef—who together control roughly 80 percent of U.S. beef production—shared confidential pricing data and limited slaughter volumes to boost profits. Plaintiffs argue this reduced competition in the market, harming both cattle producers and consumers.
ONGOING LITIGATION:
New York AG Lawsuit: The New York Attorney General sued JBS USA in 2024 for allegedly “greenwashing” and misleading consumers about its environmental practices.
National Beef Packing: Litigation is ongoing against National Beef, the last remaining defendant in price-fixing cases.
McDonald’s Lawsuit: In October 2024, McDonald’s filed a separate federal lawsuit against the four major packers—Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef—alleging that they have been fixing beef prices since 2015.
Under former President Biden’s administration, USDA and the DOJ took an aggressive approach to market dominance exhibited by the nation’s top four beef processors. The Biden administration addressed alleged price-fixing in the U.S. beef industry through investments to boost competition, enforcement of antitrust laws, and strengthening regulations.
In a marked departure from that approach, the Trump administration has revoked the Biden-era Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, Biden’s sweeping policy that had directed agencies to aggressively monitor corporate consolidation across industries, including food and agriculture.
Trump has also suggested that tariff revenue could be used to support American ranchers and farmers facing economic challenges from trade disruptions or market concentration, though no formal plan has been released. Critics say that without direct competition orders like those from the previous administration, federal oversight of large agribusiness mergers and pricing practices may weaken.
The settlement’s timing—alongside this recalibration of policy—adds a new layer of complexity to how the government and courts handle concentration in the food system. Legal analysts note that Tyson and Cargill’s cooperation could help accelerate remaining litigation against JBS and National Beef, potentially revealing more details about internal pricing communications.
If approved by the court, the settlement will provide monetary relief to eligible consumers, though distribution details are still being finalized. The case remains a key test of how far federal and state laws can reach in addressing allegations of price manipulation in highly consolidated agricultural markets.
For now, the outcome underscores how the meatpacking industry remains under legal and public scrutiny—while the Trump administration signals it intends to take a less regulatory approach.